Buried Feelings
by Japboix1
Summary: 10 years after the 4th Shinobi War, Naruto Uzumaki is happy with his life as the 6th Hokage. At least, he thinks he is, until his feelings for a certain pink haired kunoichi are revisited years after he tried to bury them. NaruSaku XD
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Naruto.**

I'd like to say thanks to AbaraiSuki for helping me write this. I truly appreciate all of the help and support you've given me XD Never could've done it without you :D

**Chapter 1: Do You Love Her?  
**

She was the most stunning woman he had ever seen. Even in her normal clothing she was something else but tonight, dressed like this…Naruto wondered how she didn't have every eye around staring at her. Perhaps they were staring, but he couldn't pull his eyes from her long enough to notice. Her dress showed off her lithe figure, emphasizing her curves enough to make Naruto suck in the tiny bit of drool he felt escaping. Her hair done up that way showed off her neck in the most tantalizing way. She was the very definition of beautiful, even captivating the 6th Hokage like this. Her presence, no matter how far away, always held his attention. And it killed him on the inside.

'_Dammit, why can't I take my eyes off of her?_' Naruto thought gloomily, drinking a shot of sake. He cringed, remembering his dislike of the horrid drink. '_How the hell did Baa-chan ever like this stuff so much?_'

Unfortunately for Naruto, his thoughts now found their way back to the rosette medic-nin, who was now deep in conversation with Ino Yamanaka about some village gossip. Naruto sighed. He just couldn't get her out of his mind. He didn't want to think about her. Not in this way. He had put these feelings away, burying them deep within his heart. It had been 10 years since the start of the 4th Shinobi War. 8 years since he had last allowed himself to feel this way. To look at her like this. But tonight, something had uncovered the feelings he had for her.

That something was a conversation with Hinata Hyuga

Earlier that night, Naruto and Sakura had arrived at a party to celebrate Hinata's position as clan head of the Hyuga Clan. When the Hokage and the head of the Hospital arrived together, questions had been asked. It was inevitable in a way. Of course, a single denial wasn't enough for Ino Yamanaka. She quickly grabbed a hold of Sakura and hauled her off for questioning. Naruto had ignored the pleading looks Sakura had thrown him. There was no way he was getting in between Ino and her gossip. She could be scary at times. As he walked among the other guests, a small voice caught his attention. "Good evening Hokage-sama. I am glad you could make it"

Naruto turned to see the smiling face of Hinata Hyuga. "Ne, Hinata, why are you addressing me so formally? You know I hate that"

Hinata just shook her head. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but I find it hard to talk to the Hokage so informally"

Naruto grinned back. "What? You're a friend Hinata. It wouldn't be the same if you stopped speaking informally to me"

Hinata smiled at him, a small blush still present in her cheeks. She had long ago gotten over her love for him, but she still blushed at times, mostly out of habit. The two of them had spent a good while speaking, mostly about the things that would change in the household now that Hinata was the head. It was pleasant and Naruto had been having a good time. But eventually, Hinata's expression turned serious as she said, "Naruto-kun, I would like to ask you something. In private"

Naruto sensed the seriousness of her tone, and followed her out immediately. Had he known the exact topic she wanted to discuss, he might have taken the chance to run.

As the two walked away from the party, Hinata sighed and turned to face Naruto. "Naruto-kun, I want to ask you something, and you must be completely honest with me"

Naruto nodded, still unsure exactly what could be so serious that she had to speak to him alone.

"Promise?" Hinata asked.

Again, Naruto nodded.

"Do you love Sakura-san?"

Naruto's jaw dropped. His mind was unable to comprehend what Hinata had just said. After a few moments, Hinata began to look a little worried. "Naruto-kun?"

That had brought Naruto out of his confusion. Finally, he said, "No, I don't love her". As the words left his mouth, he felt a small pain in his chest, gripping his heart. It happened whenever someone brought this topic up, and he wasn't fond of the feeling.

Hinata raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Really? You promised to be honest"

Naruto sighed. "Yes, I am serious about not being in love with her"

Hinata looked away, a little embarrassed. "Naruto-kun, you used to love Sakura-san so much. What happened?"

Naruto eyed her suspiciously. "Why do you want to know this? Is this about Sakura and I arriving together? If that's it-"

"No, that's not what this is about" Hinata said, interrupting him before he could explain himself. "No, this is not about that. I mean, sure, that could mean something, but this wasn't something that I've thought about for a while now"

Naruto just gave her a look of confusion, unsure exactly what to say to that.

Hinata looked away, a little embarrassed now at her outburst. Without looking at him she continued. "Naruto-kun, what happened? You used to love her so much. You would never have denied it in the past"

Hinata's hands began to rub together, one of her old nervous habits showing through. "And no matter what Sakura-san says, I see the way she is around you. The change in her when you leave her. It's like a part of her is missing. She..She lov-"

"She doesn't love me" Naruto interrupted, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He wasn't in the mood to talk about this. He had buried these feelings a long time ago. Anything to keep the pain away.

Hinata looked at him, a little fear present in her eyes. Naruto blinked, before he looked away and muttered "Sorry"

Hinata nodded, but then regained her confident look. Naruto still didn't look at her, but she decided to continue on. "Naruto, please, just tell me why"

Naruto looked up at her now, and she could see a torrent of emotions hidden in those deep blue eyes of his. "I…I don't want to wait for someone…who will never love me back…at least, not in the way I want her to…"

Hinata's eyes widened. Neither spoke for a few moments. Eventually, Hinata spoke, quietly at first but she gained confidence as her speech continued. "Naruto-kun, I don't think you even know how to be honest with yourself. I see the way you look at her. And…the way she looks at you…You two always look so at peace with each other. Like you…belong I guess"

Naruto eyed her, his sadness beginning to be replaced by his bitterness. "She doesn't look at me in any special way. We're best friends. That's it"

Hinata shook her head and before Naruto could reply, she said, "No, I can tell. I can tell because…the way she looks at you…is the same way I used to look at you…"

That made Naruto freeze. She hadn't brought up her prior feelings for him in a long time. Not since she began dating Kiba. That had been around 8 years ago.

"And Naruto…I know the look you give her is full of love… because at one point in my life…I would have given anything for you to look at me like that…"

Naruto was speechless. He began to step back, nearly stumbling on each step. "I-I-I…I don't…" he stuttered, the feeling from before gripping his chest tightly. After a few steps, he spun around and swiftly walked back towards the party, not uttering another word. He could feel Hinata's eyes on him the whole way.

Naruto shook his head to clear the memory from his mind. When he had returned to the party, the conversation had replayed itself over and over in his head. He looked down at the bottle in his hand, and took a huge gulp of the contents. The sake burned in his throat, but he was hoping that if he drank enough, he could get both the conversation and Sakura out of his mind.

Of course, he was never that lucky.

As he sat there, taking another drink of sake, an exasperated sigh came from behind him. "Please don't tell me you're going to end up a drunk like Tsunade-sama?"

Naruto spun around, quickly hiding the sake behind his back. "Sa-sakura-chan, hey…what's going on?"

Sakura eyed him suspiciously. "That's what I should be asking you isn't it? Why are you suddenly so into the alcohol. I thought you hated that stuff"

Naruto shrugged, his fake smile trying to hide his nervous feelings around her. But Sakura knew him well enough to know the fake smile from his genuine smile. "Naruto" she hissed dangerously.

Naruto swallowed nervously. He wasn't ready to deal with this. Unfortunately for him Sakura came closer, their noses barely 10 centimeters from each other. Naruto was suddenly very thankful for the blush that the alcohol had given him. "What's going on?" Sakura asked. She was completely unaware of the discomfort that she was causing him.

Naruto looked away. He didn't want to look into her eyes. He knew that he could spend the rest of his life staring into her sparkling eyes. But then the pain would just come back.

Sakura sighed. She knew Naruto enough to know that he wouldn't talk about something that he really didn't want to. "Fine then. Don't tell me" Naruto eyed her now. That last sentence had come out a little bitterly. It wasn't exactly what he had expected. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I'm leaving now. I'll see you tomorrow for my report"

Naruto nodded, but still refused to fully look at her. As she began to walk away, the pain in his heart increased. '_Oh, for the love of…_'

"Hey, Sakura-chan, I'll walk you home"

Sakura spun around to glare at him now. He flinched in fear as her eyes cast themselves over him. "I don't need you to walk me home you know. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself"

Naruto shrugged. Sakura hated to be thought of as weak. "I know you're strong Sakura-chan. I just want to spend some more time with you"

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked away quickly. "Oh…I see…" she said. The words had come out very softly, almost like a whisper.

Naruto tilted his head as he looked at her. She was acting pretty oddly herself. Of course, if he ever voiced these thoughts out loud, she might hit him. And he was pretty sure he would ruin the party if he was sent through a wall.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, he walked with Sakura to say goodbye to their friends. Eventually though, Hinata approached them. She smiled at Sakura and gave Naruto an odd look. "You two are leaving already?"

The two of them nodded. "I have to get a report to this baka early tomorrow" Sakura said while motioning towards Naruto. Naruto just smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

Hinata nodded. "I understand. But before you go, could I have a quick word with Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura didn't notice though. "Sure" she said, smiling innocently.

Hinata nodded and began walking towards the front of the complex, Naruto tailing her a few seconds later.

As they reached the front of the compound, Naruto decided to start the conversation. "Hinata, if this is about me and Sakura-"

"Naruto-kun, please just listen to what I have to say" Hinata interrupted, her unusual determination silencing him. "Naruto-kun, why can't you try to be happy? Why don't you just try to be with the one you love?"

Naruto sighed before looking at her again. "Hinata…I'm sorry, it's just too painful. And Sakura-chan does not love me"

Hinata's eyes narrowed. An uncommon sight from her. "Naruto-kun, please don't be stubborn. Sakura-san really cares about you. Why won't you even give a relationship a chance?"

Naruto looked away now. "Hinata…I watched her for years. I gave her everything I could. She just never loved me the way I wanted her to. Do you know what that's like?"

Hinata looked a little shocked before a slightly sad expression crossed her face. "Yes Naruto-kun…I know very well what it's like to watch the one you love never return your feelings"

Naruto started, and look apologetically at her. Before the two of them could say anything, Sakura's voice called out to them. "Hinata, are you two done yet?"

Hinata sighed, before calling out "Yes Sakura-san, thank you for being so patient"

She began to walk inside, she whispered just loudly enough so that Naruto could hear. "Just give her a chance. She really cares for you"

Naruto didn't respond. He was afraid of saying anything even more insensitive tonight. Sakura walked out of the Hyuga compound and, after wishing Hinata a good night, walked up to Naruto. "Ready?" she asked with a smile.

He nodded, but kept his gaze on the ground.

* * *

The two of them talked most of the way to Sakura's. They talked about almost anything. Naruto had even nearly forgotten about all of the stuff he had talked to Hinata about. Nearly.

"So, what did you and Hinata talk about?"

Naruto flinched at Sakura's question. Noticing his displeasure in the topic, Sakura eyed him for a second, waiting to see if he would answer. When he didn't she sighed and look back at the road. "You don't want to talk about it?"

"Hn" Naruto grunted. He hated how Sasuke-ish that sounded. "I said something I regret I guess"

Naruto felt Sakura's curious gaze move over him. He sighed and said "It's nothing. It's just about…a long time ago"

Sakura's gazed moved away, down towards the ground. Naruto let out a sigh of relief. He was glad to be out of that topic. "Hey, Naruto, why did you never go out with Hinata?"

Naruto's jaw dropped. That seemed to be happening a lot tonight. He looked at Sakura, whose gaze was fixed on the ground. Sighing, he turned back to look at the road ahead of them. "I…I just didn't feel for her that way"

Sakura nodded, though he never saw it as his gaze was still fixed ahead of him. "Do you feel that way for anyone now?"

Naruto eyed her, before closing his eyes and sighing. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking about his answer. "Maybe…I'm trying to figure out my feelings"

Sakura nodded again. Naruto eyed her again before asking, "What about you Sakura-chan? Anyone you like?"

There was silence for a moment, before Sakura looked up at him and said with a shy smile "Yeah…there's someone…he liked me a long time ago so I'm not sure if I'm too late or not"

Naruto barely managed to keep the shock off of his face. Sakura turned her gaze back to the ground. Naruto smiled, though he could feel the pain gripping his heart. He couldn't help but feel the jealousy towards whoever the lucky bastard was. "I'm sure that whoever it is would be glad to go out with you Sakura-chan"

Sakura smiled, but Naruto thought he could see a small amount of pain behind the expression. "Thanks"

Naruto nodded before looking back at the path. "So…who is it?"

Sakura blushed and looked away. "It's a secret" she said, and stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Naruto chuckled, though the pain was still there and was increasing by the second.

* * *

At last the two of them reached her apartment. Sakura turned to Naruto and smiled up at him. "Well, I guess I will see you tomorrow"

Naruto nodded. He watched as Sakura walked up the stairs to her apartment. And with every step she took, he could feel the longing for her increase. And as she reached the top step, she turned around and gave him one of the warmest smiles he had ever seen. When Naruto saw that smile he felt truly at peace. All of the painful feelings he'd had immediately ceased. It was like seeing her smile was the one thing that could always make him feel at peace. She was just so…beautiful. He raised a hand in a sort of mock wave. Sakura smiled before stepping into her apartment and closing the door. Naruto's hand dropped and he turned around and began walking in the direction of his apartment.

As he walked he went over that memory in his head over and over. He especially remembered the smile at the end. After walking for a bit he stopped. He looked up at the full moon overhead and placed a hand over his heart. He remembered the feeling he had felt as she mentioned the person she liked. It was a feeling he hadn't felt for a long time. Not since Sasuke was in the village. It was jealousy. He stood there, completely motionless, going through his memories of the night. And again, his mind settled on the memory of her smile. He closed his eyes in frustration. When he opened them again he stared at the moon as realization dawned over him.

He was still in love with her.

And no matter how much he tried to bury these feelings, he doubted that they would stay hidden this time.

**Author's Note**:

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this story. I sort of suck at intros so I hope this one wasn't too bad XD Please keep reading and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Naruto.**

**I would like to thank AbaraiSuki a lot for this chapter. I had a lot of trouble with this one and she was a great help XD So thanks**

**Anyway, this chapter is a shorter one, because as I mentioned above, it was harder to write. Hopefully, my next one will be back to my standard length XD  
**

**Chapter 2:**

Naruto awoke to the burning light of the morning sun shining through the window of his apartment. Raising a hand to shield himself he squinted and looked around, realizing that it was indeed morning. It was morning and he hadn't slept at all that night. Groaning he got up out of his bed. After getting ready for the day and using every bit of willpower he had to not fall asleep in the shower, Naruto wobbled out of his apartment. As he walked up the street, people greeted him warmly, although many looked at him oddly after seeing how tired he looked. As he stumbled into his office, he practically fell into his chair behind his desk and eyed the paperwork on his desk. He blinked a few times to try to focus and pulled the first page off of the top of the pile. He read the report many times, but never understood what it said. It was like he knew what the page said but his mind just wouldn't connect it all for him.

After spending a long, long time reading the same page, he gave up. Tossing the page onto his desk, he turned his chair around and gazed out over the village.

The quiet of his office allowed Naruto's thoughts to once again drift back to the subject that had tormented him all night. He blushed as memories of Sakura drifted through his mind. The way she had looked in that dress had been…stunning to say the least. Even as her friend, Naruto had always noticed how attractive Sakura was. It surprised him that she had never seriously dated anyone. But she had mentioned that she liked someone now. Who could it be? Who was this person? Naruto couldn't help but immediately feel a dislike for whoever the lucky bastard was.

Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts. He decided that a walk would be good for him. Maybe if he could get Sakura out of his head, he could get some actual work done. Naruto put on his hokage robes and left the tower, barely hearing the pleas from his assistant asking him to get back to work. As he walked down the street he greeted the people he saw and was met with smiles. He walked along, not really knowing where he was going but trusting his feet to lead him. Letting his feet guide him, he returned to the subject that had robbed him off his much needed sleep the night before.

Who was this person Sakura liked? Someone who liked her in the past? There were probably many people who liked her. But Sakura wouldn't ever admit to liking someone unless she knew them well. In fact, at the moment, there were very few people who she was close to who were available.

Naruto felt a small flicker of hope swell up inside him for a moment. He wondered if it could be him. He hoped it was him.

But that hope was silenced as quickly as it had arisen. He knew that hope was a good thing, but false hope could hurt. And he had been hurt many times before.

Naruto decided to take in his surroundings and find where he was. He found himself at a familiar cemetery. Naruto sighed before walking inside. He walked along the path towards a familiar grave. It was one he, as well as the other Team 7 members, often visited.

It was Sasuke Uchiha's grave. Many people disagreed with allowing him to be brought back to Konoha after everything he had done. The Rookie 11 were especially against it. But after much argument from Naruto and Sakura, people had relented and allowed Sasuke to be buried along with the other members of his clan.

Naruto had thought it was only right. Sasuke had only ever lived for his clan and he had died fighting for them, even if it was against Konoha and his former team members.

Naruto could still remember the day he died like it was yesterday. It was storming. The war had gone on for over 2 months. The Shinobi alliance had begun to win and had been working their way towards Madara Uchiha's hideout. Madara had gotten desperate. He sent Sasuke to the front lines and began to use the power of the Biju in his fight. Sasuke met Naruto and they fought. They had been evenly matched and fought for a long time. Eventually, Sakura showed up as well and began to help Naruto. Sasuke had gotten careless, and took one of Sakura's chakra loaded punches. It wasn't a pretty picture.

After the war had been won, Naruto and Sakura had felt bad for their teammate. They decided that they should bring him back. Many of their allies were angered by this. If it wasn't for the respect they had earned, they would probably have never been able to do it. They buried him in this cemetery and held a small funeral for him, with only the members of Team 7 present.

Naruto had been surprised to see that Sakura didn't cry once. He hadn't exactly expected a lot, not since it was her punch that had killed him. But still, he had expected a few tears. He remembered asking her about it afterwards. He asked about how she was so calm after everything they had gone through for him. He wondered how she could be so calm. The man they were burying was the one she had loved for so long. She had only smiled at him, and said that that dream had died a long time ago.

As Naruto neared the grave, he sensed a presence already there. He could guess who it was since only three people ever visited. And Kakashi wasn't in the village at the moment. He thought about walking away, but he knew that she would have sensed him coming already. She must have already known that he was there.

As the grave came into sight, he spotted Sakura crouching down in front of the grave. She was dusting some dirt off of the old gravestone. As he approached, she gave him a small smile and he returned it. He stood next to her and looked down at the gravestone.

After a few moments of silence, Sakura asked, "Don't you have paperwork to do?"

Naruto laughed. He scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. He didn't turn to face her. He wasn't sure what his reaction would be when she was this close to him. "I didn't sleep well. So I decided to take a walk"

He felt Sakura's gaze shift to him and could feel it take on a worried expression. '_Oops. I shouldn't have mentioned that_' he thought to himself. Sakura's worrying gaze turned into a glare when he avoided her eyes. She poked him in the ribs and leaned in towards him. Naruto turned away, pretending to look around, just so she wouldn't see the blush that was appearing on his face. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

When he didn't answer, she poked him harder. "Don't ignore me. I know something's up. We're best friends for a reason, remember?"

Naruto eyed her from the corner of his eye. After watching her for a few moments, he smiled and shrugged. "Don't worry Sakura-chan. Nothing's wrong"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You should tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."

Naruto just remained silent. He looked over the grave in front of him. He could imagine that if Sasuke was alive, he would be smirking at him right now.

Sakura sighed and turned back to also stare at the grave. "Fine, don't tell me then" she said, a small amount of hurt in her voice. Naruto felt a small pain tug at his chest. But it wasn't like he could tell her why he lost so much sleep. "So…" Naruto said, searching for a topic, "How's it going with that guy?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto regretted it. Sakura blushed and looked away. He mentally cursed at himself for bringing it up. It wasn't like he wanted to hear about it.

"It's…okay I guess", she answered after a few moments. She stared at her feet as she searched for her next words. "I haven't told him directly yet. I don't know if I should bring it up"

Naruto tried his very best to hide his discomfort in this topic. He had never talked to her about this kind of stuff before, for obvious reasons.

Naruto noticed it was silent after a few moments. He figured she wanted to know what he thought. He sighed. As much as he would have loved to kill whoever it was that Sakura was in love with, he decided to be the good friend that he was. "Why shouldn't you? You like them right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah…but I think they moved on a long time ago"

Naruto looked over at her. He was surprised anyone could get over _her_. "What? Why? Who is it?"

Sakura blushed suddenly and just looked away. She bit her lip and looked like she was deciding whether or not to say who. After a few moments, she looked back at him and said, "Ah, sorry, it's a secret!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "What? Why won't you tell me?"

Sakura stuck her tongue out and said, "That's revenge for not telling me what's wrong".

Naruto just chuckled. At that moment, his stomach made a large growling noise, and both of them burst into laughter. Sakura smiled and asked, "Do you want to go for some ramen?"

As Naruto nodded furiously, Sakura sighed and began to walk out of the cemetery. When he didn't follow, she turned to look at him curiously. He was staring down at Sasuke's grave. After a few moments, he said, "Ah, sorry, I'll follow you in just a minute". Sakura nodded, before walking towards the cemetery's entrance. Naruto eyed the bounce of her hair and the sway of her hips for a moment, before tearing his eyes away to look down at the grave. He felt the small pain, which was now becoming familiar, grip his chest again. As he stared down at Sasuke's name on the small stone, he sighed. '_I guess that Sakura will just never like me in the way that she liked you, teme_'

Naruto could just imagine Sasuke's indifferent shrug and the small smirk at Naruto's dilemma.

'_But…_' Naruto thought as he glanced over to where Sakura was standing, waiting for him. '_If it means that Sakura-chan can be happy, then I will be the friend that I'm supposed to be_'

With a small smile, Naruto turned away from the grave and began to walk towards his pink-haired teammate. She gave him a small smile and turned to walk with him as he approached. As they walked, Naruto glanced over and saw the smile that was still present on Sakura's face. He returned his own smile and thought, '_If it means that I can see Sakura-chan smile like this every day then I guess that I can keep my own feelings hidden. All I can do is endure the pain it causes me_'


	3. Chapter 3

**First, let me just say that I actually intended to have this up over a week ago. It's been sitting in my documents edited and ready for a while, I just completely forgot that I hadn't uploaded it. On top of that, for over a week now, it just wouldn't let me upload anything on the site -.- Sorry for that XD Enjoy**

**Thank you to AbaraiSuki as always for putting up with my annoying and constant barrage of questions XD**

**I've already done the disclaimer twice so I think you get the picture. **

**Chapter 3:**

As Naruto made his way up the steps of the Hokage tower, he felt like he was dead. He had just come back from his lunch with Sakura at Ichirakus. And it had been horrible.

It wasn't that she had done anything to upset him. Actually, it had been quite the opposite. They had talked a lot, sharing quite a few laughs, with neither of them talking about their love lives. He had gotten his favourite miso pork ramen and she had gotten the same, just in a smaller portion.

The part about the whole thing that had been horrible was how conscious Naruto now was of her. More than a few times he caught himself staring at her lips as she ate her ramen. At least twice Sakura had to get his attention after he became lost in those beautiful emeralds of hers. The worst part had been when he had caught a small flash of the skin of her neck, revealing more of her silky white skin. Naruto had found that he just couldn't keep her out of his mind anymore. It had killed him just to sit there that entire time wanting her but knowing that she was in love with someone else.

Naruto was so caught up reliving his horrible experience that he barely even noticed Shikamaru standing in his office. When he finally noticed, he looked up at the lazy genius and blinked a few times before smiling sheepishly.

"Shikamaru? What can I do for you?"

Shikamaru quizzically raised an eyebrow, taking in the very dishevelled appearance of the young hokage.

"You look like shit," he said plainly. Shikamaru had rarely ever seen Naruto in such rough condition. In fact, the only times he had ever seen the young Hokage this frazzled was when it concerned the members of the original Team 7. Naruto's normally sharp blue cerulean eyes were dull, and he was unfocused. His eyes had large bags under them, evidence of a lack of sleep. Even his blonde hair, which was usually so vibrant and bright, seemed to be a little duller this morning.

Naruto chuckled a little. "Yeah, it's been an interesting morning."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Did anything happen at the party yesterday?"

Naruto tilted his head slightly, a look of confusion appearing on his face. "No. Why would anything have happened?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, I saw you drinking quite a few drinks. I would have tried to stop you, but that would have been too troublesome. And Sakura went over to take care of you, so it was okay"

Naruto flinched slightly at the mention of Sakura's name. He quickly tried to play it off, but Shikamaru had noticed. "I hear Sakura is into someone these days," he said, trying to draw more of a reaction from him.

Naruto picked up the report he had left on his desk earlier and scanned it. "Yes, I've heard. How did you find out?"

"Hey, when your best friend is married to Ino Yamanaka, you hear things"

Naruto laughed at that. He wasn't sure how Chouji could put up with Ino, honestly. He had been married to her for a few years now, but it still amazed Naruto that Chouji barely even noticed his wife's eccentric behaviour. However he did it though, he seemed happy. And if he was happy, Naruto was happy.

"I see. Well whoever it is, they are lucky that they could have someone so amazing interested in them"

Shikamaru looked down at him with an expression of disbelief. "You don't want to know who it is?"

Naruto's eyes stopped scanning the page in his hand for one brief second, betraying his indifferent expression. "No. I will support her as her best friend. That's it"

Shikamaru just looked even more disbelieving now. "Naruto, I know you can't be over her. Why don't you talk to her about it? I mean, you were crazy about her for years"

Naruto sighed before he put the paper down on his desk gently and turned slowly to Shikamaru. He eyed him with a very calm expression. It unnerved Shikamaru how calm Naruto was being about the whole thing. This wasn't how he would've reacted years ago. "It doesn't matter how I feel. She would never love me. I've realized that. So now, all I can do is support her in whatever relationship she has from now on."

Shikamaru found himself rubbing his temple in annoyance. Naruto was just too stubborn sometimes. He could see that getting Naruto to admit anything to him would take a lot of work. And that was just too troublesome for him. He turned away before saying "Whatever. Troublesome idiot"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You think everything is troublesome. I don't even know how your wife puts up with you. I can't even believe that she left Suna for you" he said. Of course, he was referring to Temari, Shikamaru's wife of 3 years. The former Suna-nin was now a full-fledged Konoha shinobi.

Shikamaru eyed him for a moment before smirking. "She's incredible, I'll admit that much"

The two of them shared a laugh for a moment, all of the tension gone from the room. After a few moments Naruto, still smiling slightly, looked up at Shikamaru. "So, was there a reason for you coming to my office today? Or did you just want to give me a hard time?"

Shikamaru blinked at him a few times, his original task obviously forgotten. After a short silence, he seemed to remember what he had come here to do, and pulled a scroll out of his vest's pocket. It was a small green scroll, with many complicated seals on it and red string keeping it tied up.

Naruto quickly undid the seals and began to read. As Naruto looked through the reports, Shikamaru began to explain. "We've been receiving odd reports of movement from Kirigakure and Iwagakure. They have been moving quite a few shinobi close to our border as well as to the border of Kumo. I think they may be preparing for war"

Naruto looked up from the scroll, which gave small details about the troop movements Shikamaru had just mentioned. "War? Dammit, I thought that after the 4th Shinobi War we had grown closer"

"…I have reason to think…that they may be after the Kyubi and the Hachibi"

Naruto's eyes widened and he sank back into his chair, trying to take in this piece of information. When Madara had used the Biju in the last war, he had been stopped by the combined forces of all five villages. Madara had been destroyed, for good this time. However, the Biju he had used to attack the Shinobi alliance had also been destroyed, leaving only the Hachibi and the Kyubi as the last remaining Biju. This had made things tense between Iwa, Kiri, Kumo, and Konoha, but the bonds that had been made throughout the war allowed the villages to settle into an uneasy peace. However, it seemed that this peace would finally come to an end.

Naruto sank back into his seat and rubbed one of his eyes tiredly. With his one free eye, he looked up at Shikamaru, who now wore a grim expression. "You're sure of this?"

Shikamaru thought it over for a second, looking through every possible scenario. After thinking about it, he looked down at Naruto and met his gaze. "I'm about 80% sure. I would need more information if I wanted to be certain"

Naruto nodded and quickly called in his assistant. The assistant, a woman in her 20s with brown hair and blue eyes, appeared and asked what she could do. "Midori, please find the ANBU commander and bring him here"

The young woman nodded before quickly disappearing. While they waited for the ANBU commander to arrive, Naruto groaned while running a hand through his spiky blonde hair. "I can't believe this could be happening." Shikamaru just nodded, his silence speaking volumes about the seriousness of the situation.

"I mean, you would think that after all that our villages have been through, we could settle this kind of thing peacefully" Naruto continued, his hand still running through his hair. He suddenly began to feel sympathetic towards Tsunade. He wondered how she had first felt when she had awoken from her coma, and the first thing that she had been told was that they were now at war with Madara Uchiha.

"I think it's the new Tsuchikage," Shikamaru said, "He seems hell-bent on starting something with us. Ever since that old man retired, he's been picking a fight with us whenever he got the chance"

Naruto nodded before the both of them fell into an uneasy silence.

The silence in the room was deafening, neither Shikamaru nor Naruto really knowing what to say. Both shinobi knew the death that would come with war, and both were hoping from the bottom of their hearts that this would all be a misunderstanding. The silence was only broken when a small 'poof' and a burst of smoke announced the arrival of the ANBU commander. "Hokage-sama?"

Naruto glanced up at the man and gave him a small smirk. "You know I don't like to be called that, Sai"

Even with the mask on, Naruto could still tell that Sai was giving him his usual fake smile. Sai had spent the years since Danzo's death climbing the ranks of ANBU. Between Naruto as Hokage, Sai as the ANBU commander, and Sakura as the head of the hospital, the new Team Kakashi had managed to make Konoha the top shinobi village, outranking even Kumogakure. "Okay then, Naruto, what do you need me for?"

Naruto's grin faded and was replaced by a very grim expression. "I need you and Shikamaru to investigate something," he said while handing Sai the small green scroll from before. Sai's eyes scanned it before widening very slightly. His eyes then glanced back and forth between Naruto and Shikamaru. "Is this accurate?"

Shikamaru sighed and nodded. Sai nodded back and then turned back to Naruto. "I am ready to leave at any time."

Naruto nodded and glanced towards Shikamaru. "Let me just tell Temari. Damn, she's going to be pissed."

The two shinobi then disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving Naruto alone in his office. Naruto groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Today was really not turning out to be a good day for him. "Things just keep getting worse and worse," he said to no one in particular. With a final groan, Naruto returned to his paperwork, attempting to forget the events from that morning.


	4. Chapter 4

**First off, I would like to say sorry for the delay in between chapter releases. It's harder to find time with school wrapping up for the year XD**

**Second, thanks again to AbaraiSuki for helping me with the first part of this and then helping me look over it. It's appreciated as always.**

**Chapter 4:**

The sun was setting on Konoha about the time Sakura was supposed to get off of her shift that day. She had to make up for the time she had spent with Naruto that morning and had had to pull a later than normal shift. Not that she regretted it. She enjoyed her morning with Naruto. She just hated how tired it made her feel. And now, just when she wanted to leave, she couldn't. All because he had decided now would be a good time to try to ask out the head of the hospital.

There were very few people in Konoha who could manage to not stop and stare at Yuki. Some of the girl's hearts skipped a few beats when he grinned at them. His perfectly toned body was topped off by a literally breath taking smirk. However cliché breath-taking may have been, little gasps of surprised pleasure followed him where ever he went. And a few of the lighter-hearted girls actually fainted once or twice. And many of the girls had trouble with coherent thoughts and speech near him. He had long eyelashes that encased glittering eyes that always seemed to be welcoming and warm. In some horribly seductive fashion he always managed to make it seem like he was smiling for one person only: you. To the girls in Konoha, Sasuke had been very attractive, but this man blew him clear out of the water. Things were made worse by the fact that he was good at his job. He was a caring and attentive medic nin with fairly decent skills. Certainly he didn't hold a candle to Sakura but that wasn't reason enough to find fault with him for most people. There was an added measure of safety knowing that he could take care of you in many ways...

And now, here he was, trying to get the head of the hospital to go out with him. Sure, if Sakura had been the same as she was when she was twelve, she would have gone out with him in a heartbeat. But she wasn't the same little naïve little girl anymore. She had grown up, learned the harsh and cruel side of love. Then she had fallen in love with someone else. Someone who had always been there for her but, because of her ignorance, had gone unnoticed until it was too late.

Yes, Sakura was in love with Naruto Uzumaki, the hokage of Konoha.

The twelve year old version of Sakura would probably have screamed at the Sakura of now, completely unfazed by the seemingly perfect man in front of her and falling for the idiot who was always dead last.

But Sakura knew he was more than that. Her love for Sasuke had died out long ago and she had fallen in love with that idiot. Then Naruto had become Hokage. He had achieved the greatness that Sakura had known he was capable of for years.

Sakura was suddenly brought back into the conversation by someone calling her name.

"Sakura-san. Are you okay?"

Sakura turned her gaze to meet Yuki's. She inwardly cringed as she remembered how easily that same gaze would have made her younger self weak in the knees.

Sakura smiled politely. "Ah, I'm sorry Yuki-san, it's been a long day."

Yuki nodded. "Oh well…I was just wondering if you weren't too busy whether or not you would want to go get something to eat with me. My shift just ended as well."

Sakura smiled at him again. He was a great guy. But he was expecting too much from her. Besides, she just felt the need to go home and relax for the day.

Just as Sakura was about to turn down his offer, a voice called out to her startling them both.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned and smiled at the young hokage, who was making his way down the hallway towards them. He was no longer wearing his hokage robes and was just dressed in the usual outfit of a Konoha Jounin. "Hey Naruto, how's it going?"

Naruto gave Sakura his usual radiant smile. Sakura felt her heart rate speed up and fought desperately to keep the blush off of her cheeks. Even after years of knowing and being near him, he still had this effect on her. Apparently this wasn't lost on Yuki as he raised an eyebrow, looking back and forth between the two teammates.

"Ah Sakura-san, I guess I will talk to you later" he said before walking away, slightly disappointed.

Naruto turned and watched him go, frowning slightly.

Sakura gently placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn to face her. He smiled his usual radiant smile, but Sakura felt like there was something missing from it today. It was just a feeling she was getting from him.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

Naruto seemed a little surprised by the question, but he quickly recovered and smiled again.

"Of course I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

Sakura shrugged. "Just a feeling I guess."

Naruto shook his head and smiled even wider to reassure her.

"So Sakura who was that? Was he the guy?" Naruto asked. Sakura could've sworn she heard him sound a little angry, but it was only for a second before his voice became its usual cheery tone. "No, Yuki's a nice guy, but he's not the guy I'm interested in" Sakura said, letting her eyes wander over Naruto as she said this.

"Oh really? But from what I could see, he seemed to be really into you." Naruto said. He felt a little bitter as he said this, but did his best to keep it hidden.

Sakura sighed and began to walk towards her office. She couldn't understand why she even tried to send Naruto hints at times. It's not like he ever caught them. She had been trying for years after all.

"It doesn't matter if he's into me," she said, "I just don't feel that way."

Naruto began to follow her along. "Wow, this guy you like must be really great if you chose him over that other guy."

Sakura gave him a small smile before continuing on her way. Hopefully Naruto would just drop this conversation.

"So who is it?"

Of course he couldn't. Sakura just ignored him and tried even harder to get to her office. Naruto then sped up himself, trying to keep up. "Sakura-chan" he said, pouting playfully.

As they reached her office Sakura sat down behind her desk and began preparing to leave for the day. Naruto stood in front of her desk. She didn't dare look him in the eyes because she might just end up giving in to him right then and there. Even after years of being with Naruto, she just couldn't get used to those puppy dog eyes he gave someone when he wanted something.

"Sakura-chan" Naruto repeated.

Sakura sighed before looking up at him. "It's no one Naruto."

Naruto was unconvinced. "What? That's not fair Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, can we just drop it? Please?" Sakura asked, her tired eyes meeting Naruto's shining sapphire ones. He grinned but stopped pestering her about it. "So anyway, what was it that brought you all the way down here? Or was it just so you could annoy me?"

Naruto's grin disappeared immediately. He closed his eyes for a moment, probably to sense if anyone else was near the room. After he opened his eyes he moved towards the door, locking it. Sakura raised an eyebrow at this unusual behaviour. But before she had a chance to ask anything, Naruto's eyes met hers and she could tell he was silently asking her to just trust him.

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head. "What I say doesn't leave the room. Okay? Not even Ino can know about this," Naruto said with an unusual seriousness. Sakura nodded in response.

"Well, Shikamaru has obtained some information that says that Iwagakure and Kirigakure have both begun preparing for war. I've got him and Sai investigating and we all hope that this is just some big misunderstanding, but it is possible that we may soon be at war."

Sakura gasped. "What? Why? Why would they want to start a war now?"

"I don't know," Naruto said. But Sakura frowned. There had been something wrong with how he had said that. It felt like he was hiding something. She narrowed her gaze at the young Hokage.

"Are you sure you don't know?"

"I-I really don't Sakura-chan."

But Naruto began to feel nervous under Sakura's piercing gaze. He looked away now, finding anything else in the room more interesting than her eyes at the moment. Sakura's gaze narrowed even more and she got up from her chair and began to slowly close the distance between them. She didn't like it when Naruto kept secrets. Whenever he did, it usually ended up with him ending up in the hospital. "Naruto. Tell me the truth," she said as she came within a meter of him.

Naruto still couldn't look her in the eyes. "What? I-I don't know what you're talk-"

"Naruto," Sakura growled. As she came within inches of Naruto, she could see him visibly tense up. What was he hiding from her?

Finally, after a few moments under her glare and a very uncomfortable distance, Naruto sighed and looked her right in the eyes. "Shikamaru thinks that they want to either capture or kill the Kyuubi."

Sakura gasped, before her anger seemed to come back in full force. "Okay, and what were you planning to do if this war actually happened?" she asked quietly.

"Uhh…fight?"

Sakura's eye twitched. She grabbed the front of Naruto's vest, pulling him down to her level. "You idiot! Why would you do that? It's you they're after isn't it? You can't fight if it comes to that! That's exactly what they would expect you to do!"

"Oh yeah? You just want me to sit back and watch you fight my battles for me? I'm not just going to sit back while Konoha fights a battle that was started over me."

There were very few times when Naruto would ever argue with Sakura. But during any one of those times, he would never back down without good reason. Sakura knew she had to be serious about this if she wanted to change his mind. She wasn't going to let this baka run off and get himself killed just so that he could protect others.

"You think we can't handle ourselves? Trust us! You're our leader. If we can't even defend you then we are failures as shinobi. And it's not just Konoha. I'm sure Gaara and Suna would help you for sure. You're not alone in this you know. You have all of us. You have the Konoha 11, Sai, Kakashi-sensei. You have me," Sakura yelled, her eyes filling with tears. However, she refused to let them fall. Not yet anyway. Naruto seemed shocked by her words and just stared down at her with wide eyes. After a few moments he gently grabbed one of her hands and she released his vest. He smiled down at her, still holding her hand.

"Ah, thank you Sakura," he said, dropping the chan from her name to show her just how serious he was being.

Sakura continued to glare up at him for a few seconds before looking down and allowing a few tears to fall. "Idiot. Why can't you trust us to protect you?" she whispered.

Naruto was surprised when she began to cry. Unsure of what to do, he decided to pull her into a hug, gently embracing her smaller frame. She responded by hugging him back and placing her head on his shoulder and allowing a few more tears out.

"It's okay Sakura-chan, this whole thing might not even happen."

Sakura looked up at him, glaring once again through her tears. "That's not the point. The point is that if it did happen, you would run off and get yourself killed. How the hell would that make me feel?"

Naruto stared down at her with wide eyes. Then he smiled gently. "I would be fine, Sakura-chan. I didn't learn all of those techniques for nothing you know. Besides, I wouldn't want you or anyone else getting hurt for me."

Sakura was beginning to get impatient. It was clear that no matter what she said Naruto was just not going to listen. It was time to use her trump card.

"Fine Naruto. I don't want to argue with you. So instead I want you to promise me something."

Naruto's smile grew into his usual radiant one. "Anything, Sakura-chan."

"I want you to promise that we will face it together then."

Naruto looked down at her, blinking for a few seconds. She was looking up at him with a determined expression. "Um… well you see-"

"You said anything"

Naruto sighed but chuckled anyway. "Fine, I promise that we will do it together then."

Sakura smiled up at him and his eyes widened as he gazed down at the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

Sakura pulled away from him now and walked towards her desk, wiping away a few tears that were still on her face. "Well then, how about we go get some dinner then?"

Naruto gave her his trademark grin. "Okay then. Where do you want to go?"

Sakura looked over at him a little confused. "What? I would have thought that you would want to go get some ramen."

"Well I just wanted to do something different for once."

Sakura giggled and said "Sure I guess. I know a good restaurant nearby."

Naruto nodded and the two of them left the office, heading for the hospital exit. As they walked down the hallway, Sakura put her arm around Naruto's and smiled at him when he looked down at her with a surprised expression. He smiled back and they continued to walk down the hall. As they left the building, a few people around them began whispering and sending glances their way. No doubt rumours about what was going on between them would be all over the village by morning. Not that either of them minded, the two of them were perfectly happy at that moment. As they neared the restaurant, Naruto glanced at Sakura. She noticed and turned to look at him again. "What?"

Naruto beamed at her. "Thanks for always looking out for me."

Sakura grinned up at him. "Well of course I would. We're best friends." She said. However, as she said that, both of them tried to ignore the small pains their chests. '_I guess that's all we'll ever be,_' they both though solemnly.

But both of them quickly hid their pain, and they continued to smile at each other. They walked into a small restaurant. It was normally for couples, but the two of them didn't mind. In fact, it even allowed the two of them to imagine what it would be like if they were a couple.

As they sat waiting for their food to arrive, Naruto noticed Sakura staring at him. "Sakura-chan? Are you okay?" he asked, shaking Sakura out of her trance. She blushed slightly but smiled up at him.

"I'm fine. I'm just so surprised how much you've changed over the years. You're so much more...handsome I guess." Sakura blushed after she said this and turned away, glancing over at another table.

Naruto was surprised to say the least. He stared wide eyed at Sakura while she looked away, obviously in embarrassment. Then he smiled at her. It wasn't his usual, big, goofy smile. This was one he used only for her. It was special, though he wasn't sure if Sakura could tell the difference.

"Well you should know that I've always thought you were beautiful Sakura-chan," he said, receiving a blush from Sakura. She turned back but kept her head down, watching him through her bangs.

"Th-thanks" she muttered.

Just then, their food arrived and they found themselves simply enjoying each other's company. They talked for a while, eating their food happily. To anyone watching, they would've looked like the perfect couple.

Eventually, they finished their food and the bill arrived. Naruto paid for both of them, insisting on it. Sakura eventually reluctantly agreed, and the two of them began to walk towards Sakura's apartment. As they walked, a comfortable silence took over. No one said anything until they reached Sakura's apartment.

When they reached her front door, Sakura turned around and gave Naruto a smile. "Thanks for dinner Naruto. I enjoyed it."

Naruto smiled back and gave a small chuckle. "Well it's not so bad to eat something other than ramen every now and again."

The two of them laughed at the small joke. When they stopped, Sakura looked into Naruto's eyes and was surprised to see some emotion that she couldn't read within them. It bothered her, since she was usually able to read him well. She was his best friend after all.

Ignoring the sting that the thought '_best friend_' caused her, she raised a hand to Naruto's face, cupping his cheek. He seemed startled at the touch.

"Naruto? Are you okay?"

Naruto grinned. "Haha, of course Sakura-chan. I was just thinking I guess."

Sakura smirked. "Well we all know how dangerous that can be right?"

Naruto chuckled at the joke. "Yeah, sure. I know I'm an idiot."

Sakura still wore a smirk. "True. But you're my idiot," she said before her face became slightly more red and she hurried inside. Naruto's eyes went wide as he watched her.

Sakura unlocked her door and began to step inside. But as she put her first foot in the doorway, she turned around and said, "Goodnight Naruto."

Suddenly, Naruto was right in front of her. She barely realized what was happening as she felt his arms wrap her in a warm embrace. "Goodnight Sakura-chan" he said, before removing his arms and walking away from the apartment.

Sakura stared out after him for a few moments before stiffly closing the door and sliding down with her back to it. '_What was that?_' she thought to herself. '_Could he possibly- no, that was just Naruto being himself. Right?_'

Sakura sighed and placed her head on her knees. She sat there for quite a while, trying the calm the fluttering she felt in her chest.

* * *

A few blocks away, Naruto was sitting on a bench on one of the streets of Konoha. He ran a hand through his blonde hair, sighing. '_Dammit, why did I do that?_' he thought to himself. '_Because you love her. And you don't want to lose her to some other guy,_' another voice inside his head said. Naruto sighed again and got up, moving towards his own apartment. What was done was done. His feelings for Sakura were getting stronger every hour. They were almost to the point that they had been as a teenager at this point.

Naruto groaned as he began to realize this. "Well this is getting complicated," he said to know one as he continued to walk off to get some much needed rest.


	5. Chapter 5

**So, sorry for the long wait in-between these last few chapters. I've had exams and it was very stressful XD Also, I will be trying to finish this story by May 16****th****. It's just that after that, I wouldn't be able to update properly for a while, so I'm going to try to finish this before that.**

**Anyway, thanks again to AbaraiSuki for editing my story XD**

**Chapter 5:**

Naruto yawned as exited from the Hokage tower doors. The village was as peaceful as always and the day was beautiful. Today would be the perfect day for slacking off and relaxing.

But Naruto couldn't do that. He was too confused. After spending most of the day with Sakura the day before Naruto had gone home to sleep. The only problem was that he couldn't. Every few seconds, thoughts of Sakura – What she was doing, how she was feeling, whether or not she was thinking of him –began to make their way into his thoughts.

He couldn't go a single minute without thinking about her.

It plagued him for hours, before exhaustion from not sleeping the night before took over him.

Yet, when he woke up in the morning, the thoughts returned.

All morning, he had been unresponsive and out of it. While he had been able to get through some of his paperwork, people were unable to get him to respond and even when he did, he had trouble understanding what they meant. He was so distracted that his assistant had finally gotten fed up with him and kicked him out.

_Fifteen Minutes Earlier_

"_Go clear your head a bit, Hokage-sama. You aren't being productive at all here."_ _she had said. Although she had said it calmly, she had been leaking killing intent the entire time. Naruto had been too afraid to object._

_Present_

Naruto shivered at the thought of his assistant. She was a scary person at times. The only person who could scare Naruto more was Sakura.

Naruto groaned suddenly as his teammate once again made her way into his thoughts. Somehow, she always managed to stay in his mind. He couldn't believe that one dinner was able to do this to him.

Sure, Sakura and Naruto had gone out to get something to eat lots of times over the years, even if it was mostly to Ichiraku or a nearby dango shop. They were best friends, and so they had gone out many times. The difference this time was the atmosphere. Naruto had felt as though they were teenagers again, out on a first date. He couldn't remember ever being so nervous before. Luckily, he hadn't said anything to mess it up.

Then there was that whole incident in front of her apartment. It felt like she was flirting with him at times. '_But that can't be possible… right?_' Naruto thought as he began walking down the streets of Konoha. He just couldn't believe that she would ever be interested in him in that way.

As if that hadn't been enough, he had hugged her. Normally, this would have been no big deal. Normally, it would have just been something that he would have seen as a friendly gesture. The only problem was, he had wanted to do more than that.

_Last Night_

"_True, but you're my idiot."_

_Naruto's eyes widened as he looked down at Sakura, whose cheeks were now slightly pink._

_Naruto watched her as she hurried up to the door and unlocked it._

_Suddenly, Naruto felt a small pain in his chest. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted to hold her, to embrace her and never let her go. He wanted to kiss her, to feel his lips on hers. He wanted to stay with her and to never let the night end._

_But she was leaving. The moment was slipping away. This wonderful night was ending and Naruto felt that if he didn't do something he would regret it. If he didn't do something now, he could lose her forever._

_And before he could stop himself, he was in front of her. Before she even realized what was going on she was in his arms._

_While it was probably a few seconds to the rest of the world, Naruto felt that small amount of time last for an eternity. He could feel his arms pressing against her, her warmth flowing into him. He could smell the scent of her hair. He wanted to stay like this forever._

_Eventually though, he had to let go._

"_Goodnight Sakura-chan," he said, releasing her from his grasp._

_As he put her down, he could see her expression. It wasn't the angry expression that she would have had when they were kids, the one where she would have caused him bodily harm while wearing it._

_It also wasn't the expression she would have had from when they were teenagers. The one where she would have blushed and told him he was an idiot. The one where she would probably ask him what the hell he was thinking._

_This expression was new. It was something he would have never expected to see on her face. She was blushing. Instead of either embarrassment or fear she wore a look of shock. There was also something else. It was in her beautiful emerald eyes. It seemed familiar, like he had seen it every day, but he just couldn't seem to figure out what that look was._

_He quickly shrugged it off and walked past Sakura, flashing a quick grin as he went._

_As he moved further and further away from her apartment, he could feel her gaze on his back. A few times, he was tempted to turn around, to run back. But he couldn't. If he did, he knew he would never be able to leave._

_Present_

Naruto shook himself out of his memories. It was these exact memories that had had him lost in thought all morning. Even fears of the possibility of war were pushed out his mind by the images of his pink haired teammate.

Suddenly, something caught Naruto's attention right in front of him. He was at the hospital, standing out in front of it. Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to see Sakura again.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to him, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Yo, if it isn't our Hokage-sama. Come to visit a certain pink haired teammate?"

Naruto looked over and was surprised to see Kakashi walking towards him, his hand raised in a half-hearted wave and his one visible eye closed in a smile.

Naruto chuckled a little. "Yeah, I guess so. I couldn't concentrate in my office so I decided to visit Sakura-chan"

Kakashi nodded. "Ah, yes well, I'm afraid Sakura is a little busy at the moment," he said and when Naruto sent him a questioning glance he continued, "she's busy training a team of med-nins. Their usual instructor couldn't make it, so Sakura decided to volunteer."

Naruto raised a brow at his former teacher. "How do you know about that?"

Kakashi let out a small sigh. Naruto guessed that if he wasn't wearing that mask, he would've been pouting. "Well you see, I thought that at least one of my former students would feel that they could take the time from their busy schedules to visit me, especially considering we don't go out anymore. But Sakura is obviously too important to go eat with an old man like me."

Naruto laughed. He felt a little bad for Kakashi. While he saw Sakura on almost a daily basis, he didn't see Kakashi nearly as much. He did feel a little guilty about it, but the Copy Nin was just too damn hard to find.

"Well then, do you want to go out for ramen with me?" Naruto asked, flashing him a grin.

Kakashi gave him a small smile. "Sure then. At least one of my students cares enough to eat with me." He said jokingly.

Naruto laughed again and the two headed off towards Ichiraku's.

_Elsewhere_

Sakura was currently sitting on a bench at one of the training grounds with her knees to her chest, watching the three med-nin trainees with only part of her attention. They were currently trying to revive a fish with their medical ninjutsu. It was a very basic exercise and didn't really require someone supervising, but Sakura needed to think and get away from the hospital work for a bit.

As usual, the cause for her need to think was a certain blonde teammate of hers.

Sakura sighed as she remembered that hug of his. He had held her so tightly yet so gently. It was as if he thought that she would break if he held her too tightly.

Normally, Sakura would've felt offended that he could think she was so fragile. She would've told him that she didn't need to be treated that way. She was not something that needed to be cared for gently and looked after. She wanted him to know she was strong.

But yesterday, she had been speechless. He had seemed to so caring, so loving in those few moments. She hadn't wanted him to let go.

A presence behind Sakura brought her back to reality.

"Hello Sakura. How are you doing out here?"

Sakura turned to the source of the voice. Walking towards her was Tsunade, a huge grin on her face.

Sakura shrugged, but smiled kindly at Tsunade. "Nothing much. Just watching over some trainees. How's retirement treating you shishou?"

Tsunade sighed, but gave her a weary smile. Sakura noticed that Tsunade looked much older than when she had been Hokage. Even with her constant transformation technique, Sakura could see the wrinkles showing through. There were also strands of white among her blonde hair.

"It's been okay I guess. But after all of the situations that gaki has put me through retirement is just plain boring now."

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, life with Naruto is never boring." Sakura couldn't help but smile at the thought of him. But that brought her thoughts back to last night, and her expression quickly became confused again.

Suddenly, Tsunade smirked. "Speaking of the gaki, I've heard a few rumours about you two. Apparently, you two are now a couple. It's the newest rumour going around the village."

Sakura's eyes widened. A small blush began to appear on her cheeks as Tsunade's smirk grew wider.

"Wh-what? I-I don't know what you're talking about. We aren't like that."

Tsunade burst into laughter at her student's embarrassment, which just made Sakura blush even more. "Haha, what's wrong Sakura? You've only had feelings for him for a few years. I'd say it's about time you made a move on him."

Sakura growled at Tsunade, narrowing her eyes at her. Unfortunately, the effect was lost because of the blush on her cheeks.

"I did not make a move on him. We just went out to dinner, that's all. We've done that before, so what's the big deal?"

Tsunade raised a brow. "Oh? You didn't tell him how you feel?" she asked.

Sakura returned her gaze to the three trainees. "No. I don't want to ruin our friendship. Besides, I've confessed to him before you know, and he didn't believe me. Why would he believe me this time?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Well, the situations are completely different from the last time you know. Also, that boy is crazy about you. Maybe he doesn't show it the same way as before but he does care about you. I highly doubt he would ever reject you."

Tsunade glanced at Sakura, but she remained silent. Tsunade sighed and continued. "Besides, what do you have to lose?"

"I have a lot to lose. I could lose my best friend. I don't know what I would do if I lost him."

Tsunade sighed again and rose to her feet. "Fine then. But I want you to remember something. If you don't tell him now, you may never get the chance. And believe me, I know the feeling all too well. You don't want to live with that regret for the rest of your life."

Sakura looked up in surprise at Tsunade. The slug Sannin just smiled down kindly at her. "Now, I'm off to a casino. I've got to enjoy my retirement. I've worked hard for this."

Sakura smiled as Tsunade began to walk away. When she was a good distance away, Tsunade sent her a small wave.

Sakura watched her leave silently. She began to wonder if she should tell Naruto. It was true that she didn't want to live with the regret of not telling him. Plus, with the possible war Naruto had told her about, the possibility of her losing him just seemed that much greater. Sakura sighed as she placed her head on top of her knees. Tsunade's words echoed in her head. '_You don't want to live with that regret_'.

Sakura's grip tightened around her knees. In front of her, one of the trainees had just managed to complete the exercise and was happily jumping up and down. Sakura smiled down at him, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

'_Is risking my friendship with Naruto worth living without a little regret?_'

Sakura wasn't sure she had the answer to that. She did want to tell him. She had wanted to tell him for years. But once again, the same thought that had stopped her for years surfaced again in her mind.

'_He doesn't love me. He could never love me, not in the way I want him to._'

However, the memories from the night before suddenly cut off those negative thoughts. Instead, a new thought entered her mind. '_But what if he does?_'


	6. Chapter 6

First off, a warning. This chapter is darker than the others. There is a character death. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Anyway, I'd like to thank AbaraiSuki for reading this again and pointing out my horrible mistakes XD

Now, onto the story :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. :'(**

**Chapter 6:**

Most would say that the forests around Konoha were beautiful. There was usually something serene, something calming about the forest. Whether it was the way the light danced through the small openings in the trees, or how the wind softly rustled the leaves, it usually gave a person a sense of peace. However, for Mei Terumi, the 5th Mizukage, the forests were anything but peaceful.

Mei sat silently in one of the trees at the border of the Land of Fire, her body guards Ao and Choujiro next to her. All three watched around them nervously.

Mei hated the trees and the forest. The Land of waves didn't have forests like the Land of Fire did. They weren't used to the environment and there were too many places for an enemy to hide.

To her right, Choujiro scanned the trees ahead of them, waiting and watching for any sign of their contact. To her left, Ao, a hardened veteran of the horrible reign of the last Mizukage, watched around them, making sure that no one would be able to sneak up on them.

Mei groaned mentally. She regretted agreeing to this whole thing. It was stupid. Konoha was not a force to be taken lightly. Even without their Jinchuriki, they had always been a strong nation. It was what had kept them alive after the invasions of Pein and Orochimaru.

Unfortunately, Mei had never really been given a choice. The Tsuchikage bastard had gone right to her village's council members and persuaded them that a war was in their best interests. By the time Mei had figured out what was going on, half of the village had been ready for war.

However, Mei knew better. She had seen what Konoha was capable of in the last war. Not to mention that Suna would not stand by and let Konoha fight alone. She wondered how the Tsuchikage planned to deal with them when they joined in.

Mei shook herself out of her thoughts. She needed to focus. She may not have wanted this war, but her village did. And if it was the will of her village, she would put her all into this war.

A high pitched whistle made all three Kiri shinobi jump slightly. After recognizing the signal from her scouts, Mei nodded to Choujiro who sent back the appropriate call.

The three of them jumped down from the tree branch, landing softly on the ground as four Kiri shinobi dressed as civilians stepped out from the bushes.

The one closest to her nodded and bowed slightly. "Mizukage-sama," he said. Mei noticed her seemed to be dressed as a blacksmith. He was wearing an apron, with dirt and soot all over it. He was about her height and had messy brown hair. Nothing about him seemed to give away the fact that he was one of Kiri's elite ANBU.

Mei nodded back. "You weren't followed?"

The man before her shook his head. "No, we have no reason to believe that they are onto us. We should be fine."

A second man stepped forward from behind the first one. Mei could see that this one was also dressed in dirty clothes, with dirt covering his pants and dried mud all over his hands. Mei recalled that one of her spies had infiltrated as a florist or a gardener of some kind.

The second man bowed to her as the first one had. "There was no reason for you yourself to come all the way out her, Mizukage-sama."

Mei shook her head. "It's fine. Although I don't want this war to happen at all, the village does. So if we are going to do this, we will make sure we do it right. Now, report."

The first man nodded to her. "Well, it's like you said, there are quite a few people in Konoha that could cause us some problems. The biggest one though, would be Shikamaru Nara. He's is their main strategist and is a widely considered a genius. His strategies will be a problem if we fight them."

Mei nodded. "Do you have any ideas of how to deal with him?"

The man seemed to hesitate for a second before answering. "Well, we could ambush him at his home I guess. However, he has a wife. Temari, sister to the Kazekage. If we did try to kill him at his home, we'd have to deal with her as well."

Mei remembered Temari. The Kazekage had trusted her enough to be a bodyguard for him at the 5 kage summit. That would mean that she was at least at Choujiro and Ao's level. Ambushing her and Shikamaru would not be easy at all.

"Actually," the man continued, catching Mei's attention, "Temari is another troublesome person. She would also be a problem in the future."

Mei thought it over for a moment. It would be better to deal with more of their enemies at once. As much as she didn't like this, it was a necessity. Pushing the feeling of regret this gave her aside, Mei glanced at the man and nodded. "Okay, deal with the-"

Suddenly, Mei heard the snapping a of tree branch from somewhere above her. She looked up, trying to see the cause of the noise. Someone was out there, listening to their meeting.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Mei noticed the sleek metal of several kunai flying through the air towards them.

Mei jumped back, avoiding the rain of kunai that fell upon the area she had just been standing in. Unfortunately, two of the four contacts weren't so lucky. They fell to the ground, blood from their wounds seeping into the dirt. Mei looked up, just in time to see a figure descending on her, kunai drawn.

Mei moved to block the figure's kunai with her own and caught sight of the Konoha jounin vest and the Konoha headband tied tightly around his arm.

XXX

Shikamaru didn't know what had come over him. Everything had been going so well. They'd been able to get enough proof that Kiri was going to war, though the Mizukage herself didn't seem too happy about that. Shikamaru had even memorized the faces of her contacts in Konoha.

But then Temari had been brought into the picture. Shikamaru knew Temari could handle herself. She was a powerful kunoichi. It would take more than some Kiri shinobi to bring her down.

At least, that's what Shikamaru's rational, logical side told him. His emotional side told him that he needed to stop this. He needed to protect her. And unfortunately, for a split second, his emotional side won.

Even if it was for only a split second, it was enough to give away his position. Shifting his weight, the branch he was standing on snapped under him, alerting the Mizukage to his presence.

'Dammit' he thought. He could see her already looking in his general direction. 'I have no choice now' he thought as about 8 kunai left his hands, stabbing into two of the four contacts and barely missing the Mizukage as she jumped back, out of the way.

Shikamaru knew he had been discovered. There was no point in hiding now. A couple of trees away from him, he saw Sai give the signal to attack. He'd come to the same conclusion.

Shikamaru jumped out, aiming right for the one person he wanted to kill, the one who'd almost given to order to kill his wife.

Pulling a kunai out, Shikamaru descended upon the Mizukage. She pulled out her own Kunai, and the two of them locked weapons. Out of the corner of his eye, Shikamaru saw Sai cut down the third spy. The fourth one was soon dealt with by one of the two other members of their team.

Returning his attention to the Mizukage, he saw her forming hand signs.

"Shit," he yelled, jumping back to gain some distance. It was too late though. The Mizukage finished her hand signs and leaned back, looking like she was about to spit something out of her mouth.

"Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu!"

Shikamaru could only watch in shock as the Mizukage spat out a large amount of lava from her mouth. He jumped up into the trees, barely avoiding the hot stream of magma. However, he wasn't given a chance to rest. Mei was right behind him, forming her hands seals again, ready to spit out more lava as she landed on the same tree branch as Shikamaru.

Shikamaru pulled out a few shuriken, throwing them at Mei. She was forced to stop forming her seals to pull out a kunai which she used to block the incoming shuriken. Using the opening, Shikamaru formed a seal of his own. A second later, his shadow shot out from under him, stretching out to connect with Mei's. She was one set ahead though. Jumping up, and away from the ground, she pulled out a few shuriken in midair and threw them at Shikamaru.

"Shit!" Shikamaru swore as he dove out of the way of the shuriken. Mei expected this however. Before Shikamaru could recover from his dive Mei had already formed her seals again.

"Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he watched the lava come down upon him.

XXX

Naruto grinned as a steaming hot bowl of miso pork ramen was set down in front of him. To his right, Kakashi smiled up at Ayane as she placed his own bowl in front of him.

After Kakashi had finished devouring his bowl within a second like usual, he looked over to see Naruto on his third bowl.

He shook his head in amusement. "So, Naruto, how's it been going lately?"

Naruto glanced at him for a second before returning his eyes to his fourth bowl of ramen. After finishing it, he set it down and let out a satisfied sigh. "Oh, it's been fine I guess. Not much to do."

Kakashi nodded. "Ah, from what I've heard, you've not gotten a lot of paperwork done lately."

Naruto looked at Kakashi with a surprised expression. "What? I have too been getting it done."

Kakashi chuckled. "Not from what I've heard. I went to the tower yesterday and your assistant was complaining about how you've been distracted lately."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization. Turning away so that Kakashi wouldn't be able to read his expression he said, "Well I've just been a little out of it lately. I went out for some fresh air a few times."

Kakashi grinned at his student under his mask. "Oh? So where did you go exactly?"

"Nowhere"

"Hm. Sure."

Naruto eyed Kakashi. He was currently staring out of the stand, a smug look in his eye. "Is there something you want to say, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi shrugged, but Naruto could tell he was grinning at him under that mask. "I just wanted to see if you would tell me about your date with Sakura on your own or if I would have to ask you myself."

Naruto started at this and stared wide eyed at Kakashi. His former sensei was looking at him with what Naruto could only guess was a smirk.

"Wha-wha-what? We didn't- I mean… how'd you know about that?"

Now it was Kakashi's turn to look surprised. "You mean you don't know? It's all over the village. People are saying what a cute couple the two of you make. Not that I needed to be told that. I'm just happy you two stopped avoiding the topic."

Naruto blushed lightly. "The whole village?" he asked. Kakashi doubted he had even heard the second half of what he said.

"Yep. The whole village knows. Not that you were very discreet about it apparently. They say that the two of you walked out of the hospital arm in arm."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wha- well that…" he stuttered out before sighing. He looked down at his empty bowl which was still in front of him. "It was just dinner between two friends, Sensei."

Kakashi rolled his visible eye. "Sure it was," he muttered sarcastically, "Why don't the two of you talk about this? I've watched you two enough to see that what you two have is something special. How long will it take the two of you to admit it to each other?"

Naruto continued to stare down at the bowl in front of him with half-lidded eyes. "Maybe. There have been times where I've wondered if she liked me as more than that…"

Kakashi nodded. When Naruto didn't continue he raised a brow at him. "But?"

Finally, Naruto turned his head to look at Kakashi. "What if I'm wrong? What if she doesn't like me the way I think? Why would she even like me? I'm an idiot, I'm a jinchuriki, I…" he said, before turning away and looking into his bowl again.

Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, Sakura isn't the same little girl she was when she was twelve. You're important to her. Sure, she may call you an idiot at times, but you know she cares."

Naruto nodded slightly, though he didn't really look convinced.

"And you know full well that she doesn't care about you being a jinchuriki. You can't let your own insecurities get in the way, Naruto. Why don't you just talk to her about it?"

Naruto continued to stare ahead, with a slightly depressed expression. However, after a few moments, an ANBU suddenly materialized next to him. Kakashi and Naruto glanced over as he bowed.

"Hokage-sama, Kakashi-san. You are urgently needed at the hospital."

Kakashi and Naruto looked at each other quickly. This didn't sound good.

"What's wrong?"

Even though ANBU were trained to hide their emotions, Naruto could hear worry and concern in his voice. It just proved how bad this news was going to be.

"Shikamaru's team has returned. His arm is severely burnt. The commander is in critical condition. I'm not sure on any of the details. Shikamaru told me that he would only speak to you."

Naruto and Kakashi stood up immediately. Kakashi quickly disappeared, moving towards the hospital. Naruto lagged behind moment longer to nod to the ANBU and thank him before moving towards the hospital as well.

XXX

Shikamaru sat in a bed in the hospital. His arm, which was severely burned, was connected to an IV and lightly wrapped in a clean bandage. He felt drowsy, probably from all of the pain medication that they had given him.

However, he couldn't get Sai off of his mind. He hadn't looked so good when he had last seen him. He had been burned as well. Ino, who was Shikamaru's doctor, had told him that Sakura was now in surgery with Sai.

Shikamaru was a little bit glad he was so doped up on meds. If he wasn't, he might end up thinking about how this had all started from him stepping on that branch. If he hadn't, the Mizukage wouldn't have noticed them and Sai wouldn't be like this. The other two ANBU who had accompanied them were also somewhere in the hospital, though their injuries weren't anywhere as serious as Sai's.

The sound of the door opening made Shikamaru look over slowly. Naruto was standing at the door, his face full of worry. Behind him was Kakashi. Shikamaru tried smiling at them.

Naruto couldn't believe what he was seeing. Shikamaru was sitting there with his arm in such bad condition, and he was giving him the dopiest smile he had ever seen.

"Hey…" Naruto called.

Shikamaru nodded to him. "Hey Naruto. I think I screwed up." he said, still smiling that weird smile of his.

Naruto chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Naw, you did fine. I've spoken to the other two in your team already. They said that you ran into the Mizukage. It couldn't have been helped."

Shikamaru's grin suddenly disappeared. He looked down and looked almost teary eyed.

"It was my fault," he said, his words slurring a little. "If I had been more careful they wouldn't have noticed us." He said, looking up at Naruto. "They said that they were going to attack Temari. I wanted to protect her. And for that one second, my emotions took over, blowing my cover."

Naruto leaned back, a little surprised. He had never seen Shikamaru so emotional. He guessed it was the drugs. He'd heard some people get a little high when they took them.

However, Shikamaru seemed to have tears in his eyes. Naruto looked over at Kakashi, who seemed just as uncomfortable as him.

"Don't worry," he said, looking back at Shikamaru, "It wasn't your fault. Anyone would've done the same as you in that situation."

Shikamaru nodded, but didn't look convinced. "What did you learn?" he asked, hoping it would get Shikamaru's mind off of the guilt he was obviously feeling.

Shikamaru frowned. "This whole war is the Tsuchikage's idea. From how the Mizukage spoke, it seems like it was mostly her council and daimyo's idea. She doesn't really want to have anything to do with it."

Naruto nodded. "The council can get annoying at times."

Shikamaru glanced up at him, looking like he wanted to scowl but just lacked the focus. "I know. I mean wh-why would they want to do that? Is stupid." Shikamaru seemed to be slurring his words now. He looked much drowsier than before and Naruto could only guess that the drugs were taking effect.

He placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, which caused the jounin to look at it before looking at him. "Just get some sleep, okay? I'm glad to see you're okay and I'll let you rest. You just report when you're ready."

Shikamaru nodded. Naruto then turned around and began making his way towards the door. Kakashi did the same and exited a few seconds before him. However, just as Naruto reached the door, Shikamaru called out.

"Naruto."

Naruto stopped and looked over his shoulder at him. He was watching his arm with half lidded eyes.

"I haven't had a mission go this bad since…" he said before looking up and meeting Naruto's gaze. Eventually, Naruto couldn't take it. He looked away. "It wasn't your fault. Not then and not now."

Before Shikamaru could respond, Naruto walked out of the room. He knew he had been talking about the Sasuke retrieval mission. It was the worst mission Shikamaru had ever led. However, Naruto had never thought that what he had done had been wrong. He believed in Shikamaru.

Walking down the hall towards the operating room, he passed Temari. She was quickly moving towards Shikamaru's room and nodded as she passed by. He nodded back and continued on his way. He figured she wanted to get to his room as soon as possible.

Eventually, Naruto reached the operating room. The red light above the door showed that the surgery was still ongoing. Kakashi sat in the corridor, his familiar orange book out as his one visible eye scanned the pages. However, even though his behaviour seemed normal, Naruto could tell he was bothered. He never changed the page, just kept reading the same two pages over and over.

The red light went off, catching the attention of the two of them. After a few moments, Sakura stepped out. He hair covered her eyes as she moved out of the room.

Naruto exchanged looks with Kakashi before stepping forward timidly. "Sakura?"

Sakura gasped and looked up. Naruto could see the tears building in her eyes.

Suddenly she was in his arms, her own arms pulled around him in a desperate embrace. He could hear her muffled sobs as she cried into his chest.

Naruto stared down at her, then at the doors to the operating room. He felt his skin go cold. Forcing himself to speak despite this feeling of dread, he pushed Sakura back just enough so he could see her face and asked, "Sakura, where's Sai?"

Her only response was a hurried shake of her head and a few more sobs as she pushed her face into his chest again. Naruto felt numb and barely realized he had placed his own arms around Sakura, gently embracing her. Everything seemed to slow down around him. He just wouldn't believe it. Sai was gone? Hugging Sakura a little tighter to his own chest, he felt a few tears of his own fall, landing in her soft hair, before he began sobbing softly himself.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the long delay in between chapters. I got really busy, and the manga chapter from two weeks ago sort of demotivated me for a while XD Anyway, I would like to mention something that I feel I need to mention. On this other forum, where my first story was linked from, someone said that I didn't stick to the canon because I said that Sakura wasn't serious with her confession. **Apparently**, there is even an interview where Kishimoto says that she was serious. Well, first off, don't expect me to know about these 'interviews'. I don't follow the story that faithfully and I don't really care enough to go looking to see if this interview exists or not. Second, until I am given serious proof that she was serious, I will be doubtful about it. I personally believe that deep down, Sakura does love Naruto, I honestly do, but at the same time, I don't believe that she was serious about her confession. I just don't believe it. Besides, events in the last few chapters have just furthered my belief. To all those who don't read the manga, but watch the anime, get ready for that XD But anyway, I normally don't bother with comments like that, but I wanted to show that I don't ignore the canon purposely, and that people who find these 'interviews' shouldn't expect every person to know about them.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter, it took a long time to write XD

**Chapter 7:**

Naruto stared at the grave before him, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. The cemetery was eerily quiet that day. There wasn't even the sound of the wind or the birds. It was as if nature itself could feel the solemnity of the moment.

It had been a week since Sai had died. After receiving the news and mourning over his lost teammate, Naruto had made sure to give him the full funeral that he deserved. A few of the ANBU had objected, saying that they couldn't allow Sai's remains to ever fall into the wrong hands, like how Kabuto had used the remains of the kages and other famous shinobi in the last war.

However, the ANBU couldn't argue against Naruto for long. Especially not when both Sakura and Shikamaru supported it in full.

Naruto shivered slightly. Even if it hadn't been directed at him, Sakura's glare was still a source of fear for Naruto.

Naruto sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before returning his gaze to the grave in-front of him. The grave was a simple headstone, nothing fancy, easy to miss. 'Sai' was written on it. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the name. He had known for a while that Sai was probably not his real name. However, Danzo kept his secrets well, even years after his death. There were no records on Sai, and so Naruto had just put what everyone had always known him by on his grave instead. It was sad, in a way. Naruto couldn't help but wish he had asked Sai if he knew and if he could tell him his name. But now he would never get that chance.

Naruto didn't even look up when he felt the ANBU's presence behind him.

"What is it?" he asked solemnly.

"Hokage-sama, the other kages have agreed to meet with you. They have also agreed to meet in the Land of Iron, like you requested."

Naruto nodded and the ANBU disappeared. Naruto took a deep breath and began to walk away from the grave. He hated the Mizukage, hated her for killing Sai. Shikamaru hadn't told him exactly what had happened yet, though Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. If he heard what happened, Naruto wasn't completely sure he could keep a cool head when he met with her.

XXX

Naruto stepped into the hospital, the smell of disinfectant reaching his nose. Gazing around, he noticed that it was mostly business as usual. There were sick patients, nurses and even a few shinobi, hurt in their training. It was as if Sai had never died. Naruto didn't like that. Sai deserved to be remembered.

Brushing aside his anger, Naruto made his way through the hospital. After walking quite a ways, he came to the door to Shikamaru's room. He stepped inside, and saw Temari sitting in a chair beside Shikamaru's bed. Shikamaru was standing, as he had been cleared from the hospital, and was eager to leave.

Sensing him as he entered the room, the two of them glanced over.

Temari nodded at him and smiled sadly. "Hey Naruto"

He nodded back, but didn't say anything. Even he couldn't hide how depressed he was right now.

Turning his gaze to Shikamaru, Naruto noticed that he wasn't looking at him. He was looking at the floor, almost as if he was ashamed. Naruto sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before fixing his gaze on Shikamaru. "It wasn't your fault you know."

Shikamaru didn't look up, but shook his head. "You weren't there. You didn't see what happened."

Naruto raised a brow at him. "So what did happen then?"

Shikamaru continued to stare at the floor, before finally looking up at Naruto with sorrow-filled eyes.

XXX

_Shikamaru could only watch as the lava came down upon him. Suddenly, however, a black and white dog was in front of him, taking most of the lava before bursting into an explosion of ink. Shikamaru blinked for a few moments before regaining his senses and jumped back. The Mizukage was staring at him, wide eyed for a second, also caught off guard. She glanced over to where Sai was. Sai was holding off Ao's kunai with his tanto in one hand with an empty scroll in the other._

_Shikamaru did a hand sign and his shadow shot out from under him, reaching for the Mizukage. Mei noticed and jumped back. From the side, Shikamaru saw one of their ANBU teammates get hit away by Choujiro, flying quite a distance through the trees. Choujiro dashed forward, heading towards Shikamaru with that odd sword of his._

_Shikamaru swore, before stopping his jutsu and throwing some shuriken at Choujiro to distract him. Choujiro ducked, avoiding them completely, and continued after Shikamaru. As he got close, he swung his sword, only to stop inches from Shikamaru's face. He looked shocked._

_Shikamaru smirked, his hands in their familiar seal. On the ground, their shadows were now connected._

_Shikamaru knew he couldn't hold him long though. He guessed he had seconds before the Mizukage would be attacking him again. Luckily, he didn't have to hold him long. After about 3 seconds, Sai came down from above the two of them, cutting Choujiro across the chest. Shikamaru released his shadow and Choujiro dropped to the ground, coughing violently._

_Next, Sai pushed Shikamaru down as Ao swung at him with his Kunai, narrowly missing his head. "Bastards!" he cried, his arm already in the motion for another swing. However, shadows suddenly engulfed him, trapping him, and within seconds he too was cut by Sai's blade._

_They had no time to celebrate though. From behind, they could already feel the heat of the Mizukage's magma coming down on them._

_Sai turned, pulling a scroll from his back. He opened it, and another giant dog appeared, taking most of the attack. Still, it couldn't block all of it._

_A little bit spilt over, and Shikamaru's arm was suddenly hit with the searing hot magma. He cried out in pain, but Sai was on it, sealing it within a scroll and grabbing Shikamaru while he jumped away._

_After moving a little bit away, Sai stopped. He looked over at Shikamaru's arm and saw that it had been severely burnt. The amount of magma that had touch it had been very little, almost nothing, yet it had still caused a lot of damage to his skin, melting through his sleeves._

_Sai didn't have time to waste though. Feeling a presence above him, he looked up, only to see the face of the Mizukage standing on a branch above them, her hands already forming that same hand seal._

"_I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't want it to come to this. But the council has decided."_

_Sai jumped back again as the Mizukage released a larger amount of the magma from her mouth. Yet, he didn't jump far enough and magma splattered all over his vest and on parts of his arm as he covered Shikamaru._

_Sai fought back a cry of pain and ripped his vest off of him. He saw that it had burned through the fabric in an instant and that parts of his chests were burned._

_His arm was also badly burned and but he pressed on, using his good arm to support Shikamaru. At some point, Shikamaru had lost consciousness, most likely from the overwhelming pain. He needed to get to the hospital, or they would both be in grave danger._

_The Mizukage was still perched above them. She watched, ready to finish them off when a flurry of kunai and shuriken tore through the leaves at her._

_Cursing silently, she jumped away. There was no chance of catching them now. The other ANBU had arrived, and there was no way she could fight them all on her own._

_Meanwhile, Sai was struggling. The burns had been worse than he first though and he was struggling to carry the two of them. Finally coming to a stop, he felt his knees go weak and began to collapse, when a pair of arms grabbed him to hold him up. His burns cried out in pain at the touch and he let out a small yell._

_The arms tensed and he could barely hear a voice calling his name as his vision faded black._

_Shikamaru was also being carried by someone else. He opened his eyes, and saw that he was now on the back of a new ANBU member. He looked over to see Sai being carried bridal style in the arms of another ANBU. He was burned all over, and the ANBU looked too afraid to carry him normally, in case they caused him more pain._

_Feeling the pain in his arm act up again, he could only stay conscious for a few moments before allowing his eyes to close again._

_XXX_

Naruto watched Shikamaru, a look of pity on his face. "It wasn't your fault," he said, trying to soothe Shikamaru.

Shikamaru gave him a weak smile. "You don't have to act like it isn't. I know that if it hadn't been for me, Sai wouldn't have been hit. He covered me and got hit. If I hadn't been there, he'd-"

Shikamaru stopped, and Naruto could hear him suppressing a sob. Naruto closed his eyes, holding his own tears back. This was a very heavy loss for all of them.

Finally, Shikamaru regained control of his voice. "I never wanted this kind of thing to happen again. After that first mission with Sasuke, I never wanted to fail my team like that again. But it happened, and this time, we lost someone. Sai's gone. He's…" Shikamaru stopped there and looked down sadly. Temari, who had been mostly silent, stepped forward.

"Oi, you did the best you could," She called softly, "And besides, we're shinobi, this is something we need to be used to."

Shikamaru let out a small chuckle, though it still sounded very depressed. "Mmm, I know. I just… I didn't want it to happen. I wanted to be better than that."

Temari looked unsure of herself, but she placed a hand awkwardly on his shoulder giving him her best look of sympathy. If it hadn't been such a grave situation, Naruto would have laughed. He knew she was trying her best to cheer him up, but was unused to this kind of thing.

Shikamaru glanced at her hand and looked up at her. He gave her a small smirk, a shadow of his former self showing through. That seemed to satisfy her as she removed her hand.

Seeming to remember that Naruto was still in the room, the two of them turned to him. "So," Shikamaru began, "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to meet with the other kages," Naruto replied. Shikamaru's eyes widened for a moment, before he narrowed them at Naruto in worry.

"Are you sure you'll be able to keep your cool? The two people responsible for Sai's death will be there you know. The Tsuchikage, who started this whole thing, and the Mizukage, who did the killing herself."

Naruto closed his eyes, his hand clenching into a fist unconsciously. He hated them. He really wanted them to pay. Sai hadn't deserved to die. However, Naruto calmed himself, feeling his anger die down a little. He needed a calm head. All revenge would do was bring more revenge. He looked up and met Shikamaru's eyes before nodding.

Shikamaru kept his gaze on Naruto for a few moments before sighing and nodding back. "Just be careful," he said.

Naruto grinned and began to make his way to the door. He stopped just in front of it and turned back to look at Shikamaru one last time. "Don't worry. Leave everything to me," he said confidently. He opened the door and strode out into the hall. However, he didn't head towards the exit. There was one other person he had to see.

XXX

Sakura sat back in her chair, rubbing her forehead to get rid of the stress she felt. She was exhausted. Not physically, she had enough chakra to heal at least a dozen more patients. She was exhausted mentally. Sai's death had really taken a toll on her.

Sakura had never lost a close friend before. They had been extremely lucky. Even in the war, none of their group had died. Lee had been in the hospital for about a month and Neji had become so weakened he couldn't tell Akamaru apart from Kiba, but other than that they had been lucky.

Well, there was Sasuke, but they had lost him long before his actual death. This wasn't the same, no matter how much Sai resembled him at times.

Sakura's jaw clench and she slammed her fist onto the table, causing it to crumble into a bunch of splinters. It made her feel so powerless, being unable to save Sai. Sure, the nurses had said it was miraculous that she had healed him as much as she had considering the condition he had been brought in. But in the end, it hadn't been enough. She had fought hard, pouring every ounce of her chakra into keeping him alive. And it still hadn't been enough.

Sakura felt tears sting her eyes, but she held them back. She wouldn't cry. Not anymore. She had cried too much already.

A knock on her office door made Sakura look up, but she didn't move to open it. After a few moments, Naruto walked in. He eyed the remains of the desk before turnin g his gaze on Sakura.

She tried to wipe her eyes quickly to hide the tears, but wasn't fast enough. He stood there, silent for a few moments while Sakura began to clean up some of the papers that had been on her desk.

"You okay?"

Sakura paused only for a moment. Any normal person would have probably missed it, but Naruto knew Sakura. He could see even the most subtle signs. She continued to clear up the mess and after sighing softly, Naruto began to help her. They cleaned in silence for a few moments, but Sakura couldn't stand the silence for too long.

"I'm fine," she replied, barely being able to keep her voice steady.

Suddenly, Naruto's hand reached out and touched her cheek. Her gaze met his and he sighed. Her eyes were still red from all of the tears she had been shedding. As he continued to watch her, his thumb began to stroke her cheek unconsciously.

"You shouldn't blame yourself you know."

Sakura looked away quickly, forcing Naruto to let go. "That's what everyone has been saying. But it doesn't matter. I couldn't save him. I was too weak. He shouldn't have died like that."

Naruto took a deep breath. Sakura could be really stubborn sometimes.

"I know the state he was in when he got here. It's a miracle he stayed as long as he did. If it weren't for you, he probably would have died within minutes."

Sakura's brows furrowed. "It doesn't matter, in the end, I failed. I feel so powerless."

Although she had said it quietly, her voice had been strong with emotion.

"You're not weak. Sakura, if it weren't for you, I would have died by now. Several times in fact. You are not weak. You're strong. You've saved Sai time and time again as well. Whenever he got hurt on a mission, you'd heal him. If he ever came back, bloody and dying, you'd save him. You're not weak, Sakura. You saved tons of people in the war. Plus there's the patients you help every day. What you do is something that can only be done by a few."

Sakura looked up and met his gaze again. His eyes were sincere, and she couldn't help but feel a little less guilty about the whole thing. Just seeing that look in his eyes just seemed to make everything feel just a little bit better.

Looking down at the ruins of her desk, she smiled sadly. "You'd have been fine without me."

Naruto's brows furrowed. "Sakura," he began, his voice completely serious, "You're important to me. I don't know what I'd do without you. I-I lo-"

Naruto stopped, and looked away in embarrassment realizing what he had been about to say. He hadn't meant to bring up his recently rediscovered feelings. And he definitely didn't want to chance rejection of those feelings here. Especially not when he himself was not exactly emotionally stable.

Sakura's curiosity, however, had been piqued. She looked up at him through her bangs, her expression hidden by her hair. "You what?"

Naruto looked down now, at the papers he had collected from the ruins of her desk. "It's nothing," he said, standing up and moving to a nearby shelf, where he placed the papers he had collected.

He heard Sakura mutter a small 'oh' and turned to see her rising as well. Seeing her give up the argument like was only more proof to Naruto that Sakura was not her normal self. The grief she felt must've been intense. She placed the papers she had collected on a small table on the opposite side of her office and turned back to him.

"Well… thank you Naruto, I feel a little better I think… "

Naruto shook his head. "Anytime, Sakura-chan. You know I always like it better when you smile," he said, grinning at her.

Sakura blushed lightly and looked away in embarrassment. "So, how are you going to fix this whole situation then?" she asked, mostly to change the topic.

"Well… I'm meeting the other kages in about a week to discuss this whole thing actually. They just agreed to it today."

Sakura looked over at him, surprised. "Oh, I see. Are you sure it's a good idea to bring the person who killed Sai into Konoha? There are a ton of people who would love to kill them now. And that would just give them a perfect excuse for starting a war."

Naruto shrugged. "Well you see we're actually going to meet in the Land of Iron."

Sakura frowned at Naruto now, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Isn't that dangerous? Who knows what could happen while on the trip there or back?"

Naruto grinned at her. "It'll be fine Sakura-chan. Kakashi will go with me, and we'll send regular updates back so that the village knows what's happening and all that. Everything will be fine."

Sakura frowned at him looking a little confused. "Wait, you're just taking Kakashi?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That's it?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before grinning widely at her. "Yeah."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, her glare making Naruto shrink back a bit in fear. "Naruto, Sai was just killed. Shikamaru has intense burns on his right arm. Their two ANBU teammates came back with several major injuries. Do you even realize the danger you could be in?"

Naruto chuckled nervously, but that only made Sakura's glare become even more intense. "This isn't funny Naruto, you could die. Even if it's Kakashi and you, you two can only handle so much," Sakura said, almost shouting now. Naruto was staring at her wide eyed, not knowing what to do.

"Do you even realize how I would feel if something happened to you two?" Sakura asked, before quickly looking away. She was silent for a moment before continuing. "I'm going with you."

Naruto's eyes widened even further. "Eh?"

Sakura looked back at him, giving him that dead serious glare of hers. "You need a medic. And it needs to be someone who can fight on the level of the kages and their bodyguards. So take me with you," she said, not giving Naruto a chance in the matter.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak before closing it again, unsure of what to say. Sakura couldn't help but compare the look to a goldfish opening and closing its mouth.

Finally, Naruto managed to speak. "B-but you can't Sakura-chan. It would be dangerous, like you said. And if something happened to us, you need to help out with things here in Konoha. What if I take Ino instead? She's almost as skilled medically as you and she can-"

"Nope, I refuse to be left behind," Sakura said, cutting him off with a tone that said that she was done talking about this.

"Eh, but-"

"No buts. Besides, so what if it's dangerous. You think I can't keep up with Kakashi and you?"

"No Sakura-chan, I-"

"Well thank you for your concern, _Hokage-sama_," she continued, "But I can keep up with you two just fine. And besides, if anything happens to me, then Ino can take over here. Besides, she'll work better with Shikamaru then, since they are part of that Ino-Shika-Cho formation."

Naruto ground his teeth, becoming a little frustrated at the constant interruptions. "Dammit Sakura, I just don't want anything to happen to you!"

Sakura met his glare with a glare of her own. "Well how do you think I would feel if anything happened to you? You don't think I would be hurt?"

"No, I do think that, it's just that I care about you! And if something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do!"

Sakura gasped quietly, and her glare softened to a look of surprise. Naruto looked away, unable to meet her eyes. After a moment, she reached out, placing her hand on his arm. "Naruto, you promised we'd do this together, right?" she asked, and after receiving an affirmative nod from Naruto, she said, "So please, let me help you. If we go together, I'm sure it will be fine. Plus we have Kakashi. We'll be fine."

Naruto shook his head. "I just don't want you to get hurt Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled up at him kindly. "Well, whatever problems we face will be easier to solve if we're together, right?"

Naruto hesitated for a second before finally relenting. "I guess so."

Sakura beamed up at him. "Great, now get out for a moment," she said, pushing Naruto towards her office door.

"Eh?"

"I need to pack up my medical gear, so wait outside. Then we'll go to your place and get your stuff."

"What? Why are you coming with me to pack up?" Naruto asked as he was shoved outside of her office and made to sit in a nearby chair.

Sakura walked back over to her office door and began to close it. However, just before it shut, she poked her head out and looked at him. "I'm going with you because every time you decide to do something important, you leave me behind," she said with a bit of a frown, "So I'm going to make sure that you don't leave me. Got it?"

"But-" Naruto began, but was cut off as she closed her office door. Sighing Naruto leaned back in the chair and couldn't help the small smile that formed on his lips. '_At least she's back to her old self_' he thought.

After about 5 minutes, her office door opened up and Sakura walked out with a small backpack over one shoulder. She smiled down at him, offering him her hand. "Okay, let's go then."

Naruto smiled back up at her and took it. She pulled him up and the two of them walked together out of the hospital, neither noticing that they were still holding hands.


	8. Chapter 8

**Holy crap, it's been, what, 5 weeks since I updated? God damn, I need to work on that XD Anyway, I'm sorry, _again_, for not updating for the longest time. I hit what some people like the call "The Wall" XD However, I have overcome "The Wall" and I will try to update more often from now on. Not that it really matters, I predict only a few more chapters for this story. But I will finish it, I promise you that. I hate nothing more than an unfinished story. I hate it when I'm reading, enjoying a story, and I come across an AN or a chapter that says "Discontinued" -.-**

**Anyway, I'm in a good mood this week XD After reading the last Bleach and One Piece Manga chapters, I've been all happy. They were awesome! :D**

**On to the story. First off, I'd just like to let anyone who reads this know, that I actually mention things that have happened earlier on in the story a few times in the chapter. One time involving Yuki. Remember him? Nope? Yeah I don't blame you. It's what happens when someone doesn't update for 5 weeks XD Yeah yeah, I know, I'm ashamed of myself. *Sigh* Oh well.**

**Anyway, I'd like to thank AbaraiSuki for reading this like always and helping me out (Don't worry, she didn't remember who Yuki was either).**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto. Believe me, it probably would suck if I did XD**

**Chapter 8:**

Naruto yawned as the sun began its early rise over the snow covered horizon. He hated early morning watch duty. He'd rather be sleeping, not sitting in the snow freezing his ass off. But he had drawn the short stick when they'd decided their shifts. He was sure Kakashi had cheated though.

The cool wind blowing through the holes in his little tepee of blankets made Naruto shiver. He cursed the fact that the Land of Iron was so cold again as he scanned the trees for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

A soft rustling of the tent fabric made Naruto look up. They'd brought one tent along, to keep them warm in the journey, big enough for two people to sleep in it as the third kept watch. At the moment, Kakashi was currently stepping out from the tent, stretching wide as he got ready to take his shift.

"You're late," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes at Kakashi. Kakashi scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.

"Would it help if I said I was lost on the road of life?"

Naruto answered by pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes even further at Kakashi. Kakashi chuckled nervously, holding up his hands to calm the young Hokage.

"Ahhh, sorry about that. We'll leave a bit later today then. That way, you can get some rest. It wouldn't look good for the Hokage to turn up tired with dark circles under his eyes, now would it?"

Naruto just shook his head in exasperation as he stood. He moved to the tent, bringing the blankets he had with him. Kakashi took his place, sitting down in the spot he had been and pulling out one of his infamous books.

As Naruto stepped into the tent, his eyes unconsciously drifted over to where Sakura slept. Her breathing was soft, barely noticeable unless one was listening for it. As he stepped over to where a space had been left for him he lay down on his side facing Sakura.

Sakura lay on her side, probably so that whoever else slept in the tent would have more room. Her pink hair was draped across her face covering her features like a soft, pink curtain.

For a little while, Naruto lay there, watching her back. He wasn't really up to sleeping yet and he was content to just lie there, listening to her soft breathing as his eyes traced the soft outline of her body.

He was glad that she was sleeping peacefully. The last few nights Naruto had noticed that she had trouble sleeping. She'd tried to hide it, pretending to be asleep whenever Naruto awoke. But he could tell she wasn't sleeping as well as she wanted him to believe. Though he had no idea what caused her lack of sleep, he could only guess that Sai's death was the root of the problem.

Suddenly and out of nowhere, Sakura began to murmur in her sleep, her twitching form frightening Naruto. One of her hands reached up and began cradling her head, almost as if she were in pain. The murmuring got louder, her voice sounding frightened and pained. Naruto got up and looked over her over. Her eyes were moving quickly under her eyelids, their movement frantic and erratic. Her breathing had also sped up, her breaths short and desperate now. As he watched her, unsure of what to do, a small thought popped up in the back of his mind. It was a nightmare, obviously, but it seemed to be a very painful one.

Nervously, not sure whether it would be better to wake her or not, Naruto reached out, his hand brushing her arm. Almost instantly, she sucked in a deep breath, her form calming as his hand rested on her arm. Maybe it was the touch that calmed her, maybe it was just that her nightmare had ended, either way Naruto didn't really care. He was just glad that she had calmed down for the moment.

Her face looked peaceful again, much like it had been when he had first entered the tent. He took a minute to gaze at her face. Naruto couldn't help but notice just how much she had changed from that twelve year old girl he had had a crush on. She'd been shallow back then, even he could admit it. She'd followed the crowd, admiring the last Uchiha and believing her crush to be love. She'd had a child's view of love, naïve and superficial. Yet, as she matured, she'd come to realize just how little she knew of love. She'd begun to see that the one she'd admired was not perfect, that he had flaws, just like everyone else.

Naruto smiled down at her. She'd grown a lot, physically and emotionally. She was no longer that shallow, hesitant, young girl. She'd become a strong and caring young woman. And Naruto was still hopelessly in love with her. Naruto began to wonder how he'd kept it hidden for so long.

Seeing that she had calmed down from her nightmare, Naruto pulled away. Sakura seemed to notice this though and as his hand left her, she began to breathe more quickly, her nightmare returning to her. Naruto looked down at her, unsure of what to do. Sakura's nightmare seemed to get worse and she quietly began to murmur things. "No… don't leave…" she said, her voice sad and pleading.

Naruto watched her sadly. She was thinking of Sasuke wasn't she? She was dreaming of him. Maybe the Sai's death had made her remember the other dark haired, cold teammate that she'd lost. Naruto couldn't deny that the thought that she still dreamed of Sasuke hurt him just a little.

"Naruto… don't leave me…"

Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura was still murmuring, her nightmare continuing. But she'd said his name. _His_! Naruto Uzumaki! As said as he was that Sakura was suffering, he couldn't help the small bit of happiness that came with the knowledge that it was him she was dreaming of.

He reached out again, placing a hand on her arm. Again, almost instantly, she calmed down, her body relaxing as she stopped her murmuring and began to breathe easier. Blinking in confusion at the sudden change, Naruto wondered if maybe his presence had calmed her. He also couldn't help the thought that maybe it was the fact that it was _his _touch that had helped her.

Suddenly, Naruto was struck with an idea. It was dangerous, reckless, and likely to get him killed. But then again, it would probably be worth it. Besides, Sakura wouldn't kill him until after the summit, right? He glanced quickly at the tent entrance to make sure Kakashi wasn't coming to check on them. After seeing that he wasn't, Naruto nudged closer to Sakura, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her just a little closer to him. He slipped his other arm under her neck, being careful not to wake her, and pulled her into a full embrace then. He figured that she would probably beat him senseless in the morning, but Naruto wanted to believe that it had been his touch that had calmed her before. He wanted her to feel safe, to know that he would protect her.

Naruto wasn't prepared for her reaction however. She nuzzled her body into him more, probably enjoying his body warmth. She hummed happily in her sleep, obviously happy. Naruto, however, felt utter fear grip him. She was pressed flush up against him now, being even closer than he had intended for her to be. What was she going to do when she woke up? '_Probably kick my ass from here to the Land of Fire,_' he thought grimly. He briefly considered slipping out of the tent, if only to save himself in the morning.

At that moment, Sakura let out a soft sigh, her dreams obviously much lighter. "Thank you Naruto…" she said in a whisper. Naruto rolled his eyes. How could he leave after hearing that? Resigning himself to whatever fate awaited him in a few hours, he closed his eyes. Breathing in Sakura's scent and feeling her warm body against him, he quickly found himself dozing off, simply enjoying the moment. As he drifted off, he sighed and muttered a few last words before sleep overtook him.

"Sakura, I love you…"

* * *

Sakura awoke the next morning feeling better rested than she had in days. She'd had the nightmares again, the same ones that plagued her every night since the day they'd left Konoha.

It always started out the same. She would be in the emergency room at the hospital, desperately, hopelessly, and ultimately futilely trying to save Sai's life. However r, no matter what she tried, she would always be unable to save him, every single time. And in the nightmare, every time she turned away to grieve, she would hear a voice, probably a nurse or another medic, say "I'm sorry Haruno-sensei. We were unable to save Hokage-sama."

She would always spin around and stare at the body in surprise, despite knowing what was to come every time. And just like the time before, she would feel pain and despair as she gazed upon the lifeless body of Naruto. And every time, she cried. It hurt. She knew it wasn't real. But she couldn't help it. Every time, she would ask him not to leave her. She'd hold his body close, trying to find a sign that he lived, that she hadn't failed him. And each time, she'd be disappointed.

But last night had been different. While she cradled his body, suddenly she'd felt warmth return to him, his wounds disappearing and life filling his eyes again. He'd wrapped his arms around her, his warmth assuring her that he was alright. And then, to her amazement, he whispered in her ear, "Sakura, I love you…"

Sakura blushed slightly as she remembered that. It had made her so happy. Naruto, the one she'd loved for years, even after she'd lost her chance with him, loved her back. Even if it had been a dream, Sakura couldn't deny that that had been one of the best moments of her life. Then again, it made the reality of it all the more painful.

He'd never love her. He'd given up on her. She remembered a week or two ago, he'd said that there may have been someone he loved. He'd said he was trying to sort out his feelings. She doubted it was her. After all, why would he love her? There were so many other great people out there that he could fall in love with.

Then again, he'd asked her out on a 'date' a few nights ago. The way he'd looked her, it was so loving. It was everything she'd dreamed of. But that couldn't happen right? He didn't love her in that way, right?

Sakura remembered the look he gave her that night again and shivered slightly. As she did, the arms that currently held her tightened, and she sighed happily at their warmth.

And then she realized that there was in fact someone holding her at the moment. Sakura's eyes, which had been slowly sliding closed in her bliss, shot open. '_Why am I being held by someone?_' she thought, her thoughts going crazy in her head. There was an arm wrapped around her waist and another one resting on her shoulder. What was even worse was the fact that she was now aware of the body pressed up against her backside. Sakura's mind raced, trying to figure out exactly _who _it was who was lying down with her and _how _it was that they had gotten into this mess. Already feeling the color rising to her cheeks, Sakura did her best to squirm around, turning to face whoever this person was.

When she caught sight of the spiky blonde hair, her cheeks turned a very dark shade of red.

Naruto was laying there, his arms still wrapped around her, sleeping peacefully and looking very content. Sakura clenched her fist, ready to smack him like she would to anyone else. However, she felt her anger calm after a moment. Naruto usually had very good reasons for doing the things he did. And Sakura trusted him enough to give him the chance to explain himself.

Sighing, Sakura began to slip out of his grasp silently, trying her best not to disturb him. However, Naruto seemed to notice the lack of warmth and, still asleep, wrapped his arms tighter around her and pulled her towards him.

Sakura, pressed flush up against his chest, gasped at the closeness and tried to escape, twisting and squirming every way possible. After 10 minutes of futile attempts at escaping, she gave up, sighing tiredly.

Lying there, Sakura's eyes traced the whiskers on his face, the lines that marked him as the Jinchuriki. She momentarily felt her anger build up, angry that the Tsuchikage and the Mizukage were even starting this whole war and putting Naruto in such danger. He didn't deserve this, not after the life he had lived.

'_Not that you treated him much better,_' she thought to herself with a grimace. After a moment, she shook her head to clear those thoughts. She couldn't dwell on that. What mattered was how she treated him from now on.

Shaking her head, she gazed up at Naruto's face again, her eyes determined.

'_I may not have treated him right before, but I plan to make it up to him,_' she thought, making a silent vow to support him throughout this.

As she enjoyed the warmth of his body near hers, she remembered the warmth she'd felt in her nightmare, and the words that the Naruto in her dreams had muttered. For a moment, she wondered if it had actually been the real Naruto who'd said those words. The thought made her blush again, but it quickly died down. Naruto wouldn't say that right? It was just wishful thinking.

Sakura bit her lip, wondering if it was actually a possibility. However after a moment, she sighed, deciding to let it go. He probably hadn't said it, as much as she wished that he had. So she decided she would enjoy the moment, lying comfortably in his arms.

Nodding to herself, she closed her eyes, content for the moment to just fall asleep in his arms.

* * *

Sakura glared at Kakashi as the older Jounin let loose another fit of giggles from where he ran ahead of Naruto and herself. In between them, she saw Naruto freeze up as he also heard the older man's giggles, a small blush spreading across his face. His hand reached up, absentmindedly rubbing the small bump he now sported.

That morning, after Sakura had woken up, she had been content to just lie there feeling happy and comfortable with Naruto's arms wrapped around her. Unfortunately, in her bliss she'd forgotten that they weren't the only ones there. Moments later, Kakashi had crawled into the tent, spoiling their moment. Embarrassed that she had been caught in such a weird situation Sakura had dealt with the situation in the one way she knew how. With violence.

It didn't help that their Sensei had seen the content smile on her face moments before the violence began. Feeling her own blush creeping up her neck, Sakura made her glare even more menacing. Kakashi had kept sending little glances her way, his eyes filled with mirth. Obviously, he found this whole thing _oh so amusing._

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan. Please forgive me. I just wanted to make sure you're nightmare was gone. Honest!" he cried, his voice sounding slightly depressed. Sakura let out a small sigh. He shouldn't ever sound depressed, at least, not because of her. Looking back at him, she could see he really was sorry. He had that small frown he wore whenever he was upset, his lips pursed slightly. It made her heart clench slightly at the thought that she was the one who'd made him upset this time.

"It's okay Naruto, I know you wouldn't do anything weird. I trust you," she replied, sending him a small smile. Naruto looked at her blankly for a moment before breaking out into the warmest smile she'd ever seen him wear. And seeing him happy made Sakura happy. She realized, however, that he'd said he'd done it to stop her nightmares. The idea that maybe he had said those words near the end of her dream popped up again. But she quickly silenced those thoughts. He wouldn't say that. She shouldn't get her hopes up. Right?

The warm moment was broken as a few snickers were heard from the front of their group. Sakura turned her head to glare at their sensei again, but he was gazing ahead, looking just a little too innocent.

"Something you want to say, Sensei?" Sakura asked, her underlying tone promising him a great deal of pain if he kept it up. Kakashi looked back, a look of mock surprise on his face. "I have no idea what you mean," he replied.

Sakura growled at him, causing the white haired man to simply shrug and turn away. After a few moments of glaring at his back, she sighed and decided to let it go. Besides, it wasn't all bad.

'_Yeah, at least we got to sleep with Naruto for a bit,_' a voice in her mind said. Sakura giggled out loud, drawing blank looks from her teammates. She shook her head, letting them know it was nothing. They blinked at her for a few moments before turning their eyes back to the road.

As they walked, Sakura allowed her mind to wander. The last few days, she had been jumpy, afraid that either the Mizukage or the Tsuchikage might decide to send someone after the Hokage. Luckily, they hadn't.

Naruto had decided to take it slow today, since they were already within the Land of Iron. No sense in rushing if they still had time. The summit was to be held in about three days. They had made great time, probably because of Sakura and Kakashi's nervousness pushing them to move faster. Sakura frowned while in thought. She was thinking that Naruto wasn't taking this seriously. He'd been more concerned about her safety than his own. And it pissed her off.

He'd become way too over protective of her lately, she'd noticed. Firstly, there had been that whole thing with Yuki. I mean, the way he'd acted, he'd almost seemed jealous! That wasn't possible… right?

Sakura glanced over at Naruto, her eyes settling on his blonde hair. '_No, he wasn't jealous_,' Sakura though eventually. Naruto was just looking out for her. As a friend.

'_But what if he wasn't…_' a voice from somewhere within her mind asked.

Sakura frowned. _'There's no way. I had my chance with him years ago. And I blew it. I mean… if he was interested, he'd have done something… right?_'

'_Maybe if you hadn't turned down all of his date requests before, he might have tried again! It's obvious that he thought you weren't interested.'_

'_So you're saying he did move on then,' _Sakura replied. She wasn't sure why she was arguing exactly. She should have been agreeing, trying to find signs that he might in fact like her in that way. But something in her made her continue.

'_Maybe. But he may have rediscovered those feelings! Maybe they were only buried! Maybe we still have a chance!_'

Sakura let out a small sigh, drawing a small concerned look from Naruto. She noticed this and gave him a small smile. He smiled back, giving her that same smile that he used only with her, and turned around.

Sakura's gaze lingered on him for a few more moments before she looked ahead again. '_I love that smile he gives me…'_

The voice in her head groaned. _'You see? You're crazy for him! Why shouldn't you risk it?_'

Sakura was about to let out a groan of her own but she stopped herself. No need to give Naruto any more reason to believe she was crazy. _'I don't want my heart broken again! Don't you remember the last time we did that? You know, last Uchiha? Knocked me out? Proceeded to become an S rank criminal? Also caused the one I love now to give up on me?'_

The voice was silent for a moment. _'… You have a point there.'_

'_See?'_

'_But still! Why shouldn't you try? He likes you!'_

Sakura paused. No he didn't. That wasn't possible… right? Images from her dreams the night before came back to her. Especially those four little words he'd whispered.

'_Of course he does. Why do you think he was so upset when you said you were in love with someone? And when you were talking with Yuki? I mean, you were just talking?'_

'_He was just being protective!_'

The voice let out a snort. 'Yo_u believe that. But remember, not saying anything won't get you anywhere.'_

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan? You okay?"

Sakura blinked away her thoughts. She looked up to see Naruto giving her the same concerned look he'd given her earlier. A little flustered at suddenly being brought back to reality, Sakura looked around in a daze. "What? What's wrong? What's going on?"

Naruto sighed, giving her a small smile. Sakura felt her spirits lift seeing that smile. "Well I wanted to tell you that we were here, but you were sort of off in your own little world."

Sakura blinked then looked around. Indeed, they had arrived at the summit. Somehow, she hadn't even noticed as they had somehow made it up a freaking mountain. She flushed slightly, a little embarrassed that she'd been so lost in thought. Not a very Ninja-like thing to do.

Flushing in embarrassment, she grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the large keep that would be used to hold the summit. "Come on," she said, trying not to show him how embarrassed she was at having being caught daydreaming.

Naruto blinked at her a back a few times before his eyes shifted down to their intertwined hands. He couldn't stop the small smile from gracing his lips at the sight. "Okay okay," he replied, grinning at her.

Kakashi, who had been left behind, stared after the pair of them. His eyes moved from their linked hands to the smile on Naruto's face.

He felt his own lips curve into a smile at the sight as he followed after them.

**AN: How was it? Good, Bad? Horrible?**

**Either way, I hope you enjoyed it XD**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ha! Much faster release than my last chapter XD**

**Anyway, thank you to everyone for your reviews. I really didn't expect people to like the chapter that much so it was really nice to see :D**

**Also, I did promise to someone that I'd have this chapter out earlier, but my internet providers decided that this week would be a cool week to move a sever -.- Figures. Oh well.**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Just one thing, there may be a few random mistakes in here. I sort of messed up the whole Review changes option in Microsoft Windows and some of the mistakes that I actually changed still appear. So if anyone spots one, please let me know XD  
**

* * *

Naruto allowed himself to be pulled along by Sakura, not really wanting to risk facing her wrath. Not to mention, he liked the feeling of her hand in his. As she pulled him along, he saw the entrance to the large fortress in front of them where three figures stood.

There were two men dressed in Samurai armour, both standing at around 6 feet tall and looking intimidating. He guessed they were the third one's bodyguards, much like how Sakura and Kakashi were his own. The third figure was slightly shorter than the other two, standing maybe two inches shorter than them. He had long brown hair which he had tied back into a ponytail and held a lone Katana in a sheath at his waist. He looked relatively young, probably not that much younger than Naruto or Sakura. Unlike the armoured hulks behind him, he was dressed in a simple navy blue Yukata. Even from here, however, Naruto could feel the presence he had. It was like a blade, something sharp and dangerous but also able to be kept sheathed when needed.

When they were much closer, Naruto pulled his hand out of Sakura's, though he did try to make the process as long as possible, and strode forward to meet them. The man in the middle nodded towards him, also taking a few steps forward. "Hokage-sama. I welcome you to the Land of Iron. I am Kira, and I will be the mediator for this summit."

Naruto nodded, giving him a small respectful bow of his head in acknowledgement. Behind him, Kakashi and Sakura bowed their heads as well.

It sort of amazed Naruto how far he'd come regarding his respectfulness. When he'd first taken the job as Hokage, he'd been a lot like he'd always been. He was always informal, always treating everyone like an equal or just being very, _very _blunt about their appearance. For example, he'd seen the former Tsuchikage once before his retirement. Seeing as the man was older, Naruto had taken to calling him the grumpy ojii-san. The man hadn't liked that.

It had only been after a large political incident as a result of his name for the Tsuchikage and the threat of being in a world of hurt from Sakura if he continued to act disrespectfully that Naruto finally decided to, at the very least, act respectfully towards anyone he dealt with for his position.

"Hokage-sama, would you like to have something to eat? We will need to prepare some space for you since we weren't actually expecting you for a few days."

Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that. We were sort of in a rush."

The man nodded, looking understanding. "It is no problem. Please, come inside."

The man turned, flanked by his two bodyguards. Naruto followed shortly after along with Sakura and Kakashi.

* * *

The cafeteria of the keep was nearly silent that day as most of the Samurai residents were out patrolling either the castle or the surrounding area. The only sounds coming from the massive room were the slurping noises made by Naruto as he happily ate his ramen bowl.

In front of Naruto, several identical bowls, all large enough to feed any normal person, sat emptied, much to Sakura's disgust. Nearby, Kakashi had his own bowl in front of him which he'd emptied within seconds of receiving it like usual. Now he was reading his book, the same orange book he'd read for years.

"I don't know how you eat so much ramen," Sakura said, scrunching her nose up as she eyed the mountain of empty bowls. Naruto just grinned in reply. Even he had to admit, the amount he'd eaten today was a lot. But the woman who cooked the stuff did something different from normal and the taste rivaled the ramen from Ichiraku's.

At that moment, the cafeteria lady, Hitomi, strode over. She held a few cups and a pot of tea, which Sakura had asked for moments earlier. She was an elderly woman and had warmed up to Naruto the moment he declared her food to be delicious.

"Ah, here you are Hokage-sama," the woman said, handing Naruto a cup as he slurped up the remaining juice. Naruto gave her a wide smile. "Aa, thanks Hitomi-san."

The woman smiled, picking up some of the empty bowls and making her way back to the kitchen. Sakura picked up her tea, taking a sip. "So, what do we do for the next two days?"

Naruto shrugged, drinking his own tea, though much faster than Sakura had. "I guess we should just hang around."

At that moment, the doors to the cafeteria opened and three figures walked into the cafeteria. All three Konoha shinobi turned to look and were surprised to see the familiar figures of Gaara, Kankuro and Matsuri. Naruto grinned, waving to get their attention. "Oi! Gaara, over here."

Gaara glanced over, spotting them. When he did, the three Suna shinobi all made their way over, sitting across the table from their Konoha counterparts. "Naruto, Sakura-san, Kakashi-san," Gaara said, nodding his head towards them. Beside him, Matsuri smiled brightly. "Hello Hokage-sama, Sakura-san, Kakashi-san. How have you all been?"

Sakura smiled back at her while Naruto continued to grin. "We've been good, Matsuri-chan. I see you guys got here early as well."

Gaara nodded with a blank expression. From beside him, Kankuro sighed. "Yeah. Without Temari here, no one is able to make Gaara slow down. He just kept on going."

Gaara turned to look at his brother, his head tilting just the tiniest bit. Naruto figured that this meant that he had no idea what he was talking about. He probably had thought that he was going at a completely reasonable pace.

Matsuri laughed at the look Gaara was giving Kankuro. Naruto wondered if she had thought the same thing as him. He hoped she did, it would have meant that he had one more person in his life who actually understood him.

"By the way, those Samurai guys wanted us to let you know that your rooms are ready," Kankuro continued, clearly ignoring the questioning look Gaara was still shooting him. Kakashi rose from his spot, book finally closing. "Okay then, I'm going to go rest for a bit. Having last watch has made me really tired," he said, smiling at his two former students. "Kankuro-san, would you mind showing me where they are?"

Kankuro shook his head, rising as well. "Not at all. I wanted to work on my puppets a little anyway."

Both men said goodbye and moved to leave the cafeteria. As the group watched them go, Matsuri turned and grinned at Sakura. During the last few years, Sakura had always accompanied Naruto on his diplomatic missions to Suna. As such, she had developed a bond with Matsuri, who had taken up Temari's place next to Gaara. Matsuri also admired Sakura, something the younger woman had felt she hadn't completely earned.

"So, Sakura-san, let's go catch up. It's been a while since you were last in Suna."

Sakura nodded with both her and Matsuri rising from her seat to move further down the table. It was something that the two of them did, talking away from the guys. Naruto had once asked Sakura what is was that they talked about. All she had said was that it was a girl thing. Naruto watched them go, wondering what they talked about when they went off like that.

"You're staring."

Naruto looked back at Gaara, giving him a blank look. Gaara looked back with an equally blank look. "What? No I'm not."

Gaara nodded, slow and purposefully. "You are. You were staring at her for quite a while, actually."

Naruto blinked. He didn't actually remember doing that. "No! I wasn't… right?"

Gaara just stared back at him, giving him an exasperated look. Well, as exasperated as Gaara can get. Naruto met his gaze for a moment before looking away, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, okay, I might have been staring. Honestly though, I hadn't even realized I was doing it."

Gaara let out a low hum, probably agreeing. They didn't say anything for a moment. Naruto stared at the table, a little embarrassed that he'd been caught staring. Gaara just stared at Naruto, wondering who knows what. After a moment, Gaara began to speak again. "Have you told her yet?"

Naruto looked up, frowning in confusion. "Told her what?"

The look Gaara gave him roughly translated into "Do I actually have to say it?"

After another blank look from Naruto, Gaara let out a sigh, glancing over to Sakura. "Tell her that you have feelings for her."

Naruto's eyes widened and he began waving his hands in front of him in denial. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. We-we're just friends. Best friends. That's all."

Gaara looked back at him, looking very irritated. Naruto had to admit, he'd never seen _that _emotion on his friends face. "Naruto, I live in a separate village and I am able to see how you feel. You're as easy to read as an open book."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Gaara, a small pout forming on his lips. They remained silent for a moment before Naruto finally let out a small sigh. "Fine, so I do have feelings for her. Hell, I love her. Doesn't mean that she feels that way about me," he said, risking a small glance in Sakura's direction.

Gaara shook his head. "Sometimes the way two people feels is obvious to everyone besides the ones directly involved."

Naruto sent him a questioning look, but Gaara ignored it. "You know that someday, someone else is going to come along who's interested in her and she's not going to wait anymore."

Yuki's face suddenly pooped up in Naruto's mind, followed by the way he'd seen him so interested in her that time he went to the hospital. He'd clearly been interested, even Naruto had noticed it. Wouldn't she go out with someone like that? Suddenly, another thought made its way into Naruto's mind. '_Why hasn't she already?_'

Naruto glanced over at her again, only to notice that she and Matsuri were both looking in their direction. The two of them both glanced away slightly red in the face. Gaara seemed to notice this as he gave Naruto a very blank stare. From the girls' side of the table, Matsuri giggled.

"Tell her," Gaara said, putting it very bluntly. Naruto just shook his head. "Why not?"

Naruto let out a small sigh. "She doesn't feel that way. I would just be making it awkward between us."

Gaara shook his head. "Awkwardness won't kill you."

Naruto grumbled out something that Gaara wasn't able to make out, probably something about nosy Kages. Gaara just shook his head again. "We could be at war in a few days. One of you could die. If that happens, won't you regret not ever having told her how much she truly means to you?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, taking it in. Gaara waited for a moment, patiently awaiting his answer. Finally, Naruto let out a sigh. "I guess you could be right. I'll… I'll think about it."

Gaara nodded. In all honesty, he felt it wasn't really his business. But he'd watched his friend deny his feelings for years and he felt that they should have at least have told each other how they felt. Besides, he meant what he'd said. Someone could die in the next few days. At the very least, he felt that the two of them should at least tell each other.

Gaara glanced over at Matsuri, smiling slightly as she laughed at something Sakura had said.

Maybe he should take his own advice.

* * *

"Oh, and then Temari said she kicked him off the bed."

Matsuri laughed, simply imagining Temari in such a foul mood. "Oh wow, I wish Temari was still with us. She was such a nice person."

Sakura gave Matsuri an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry you guys had to lose her. Maybe we should have given Shikamaru to you guys instead. Though Naruto would have missed him, I'm sure he would have been fine moving."

Matsuri waved her hand dismissively. "Oh no, it's fine. She's happy now. Besides, now I get to learn a bit more about Gaara-sama. So it wasn't all bad."

Sakura nodded. Suddenly, Matsuri grinned. "So Sakura-san, have you given all those poor guys who follow you around a break and gotten a boyfriend?"

Sakura started, eyes wide, before she frowned in genuine confusion. "What? Who are you talking about?"

Matsuri let out a small sigh. "You really haven't noticed? Whenever you come to Suna, all of the male medic-nins are always trying to get your attention."

Sakura blinked. Obviously this was the first she'd heard of this. Matsuri laughed, not completely sure what to make of her reaction. "You really didn't notice? Oh boy, you're almost as bad as Naruto-san."

Sakura frowned. _She _was the same as _Naruto_? Oh, now this she would not stand for. "What do you mean?" she asked, a little put off. Matsuri chuckled. "I can't believe you never noticed. Both of you have a huge following of admirers and neither of you even realized it."

Matsuri let out another laugh at the concerned expression on Sakura's face. But what Matsuri didn't realize was that Sakura had frozen because of what she'd said about Naruto. He had a huge following? So there were a lot of people interested in him? No, that wasn't possible, right? He was _Naruto_. I mean, sure, _she _was interested in him, but that was different. Besides, he was her-

"I guess you really didn't realize, huh? Yeah, you two are very popular in Suna. Especially Naruto-san," Matsuri said, interrupting Sakura's thoughts. Matsuri glanced over towards where the two Kages were talking about something. All of a sudden, she got a really dreamy look on her face and seemed to drift off. Sakura stared at her worriedly for a moment before following her gaze. When her own gaze landed on Naruto, a hot and bitter feeling settled in her stomach.

She looked back at Matsuri, a frown unwillingly forming. Matsuri wasn't interested in Naruto right? No, that wasn't possible. In fact, she wouldn't allow it. She couldn't be interested in Naruto!

'_But you don't have a right to say who he likes or who he dates. If Matsuri is interested, why should you stop her?' _the voice inside her head said. Sakura sighed mentally. This voice was becoming way too familiar.

'_Be-because! Sh-she lives in Suna, he lives in Konoha, it would never work!'_

'_Temari and Shikamaru worked out, didn't they?'_

'_W-well... she's just not his type. That's all!'_

'_Oh? And what is his type then?'_

'… _I don't know. But she's not it.'_

'_Really? You sound like you're jealous.'_

Sakura paused. She wasn't jealous, right? She looked at Matsuri again, feeling the small hot feeling building inside her again. _'Oh yeah. You're jealous.'_

Sakura growled mentally. _'I'm not.'_

'_You are. Besides, what right do you have to say anything if someone is interested in Naruto? It's not like you're his girlfriend or anything.'_

That thought made Sakura freeze. That was true, she wasn't his girlfriend. Naruto could date whoever he wanted.

But she didn't have to like it.

She glanced over at Matsuri, seeing that she had still not broken out of her trance. Sakura sighed and cleared her throat. This made Matsuri jump a little.

Matsuri glanced at Sakura, smiling sheepishly. "Ah, I'm sorry. I must have drifted off. I must still be a little tired from our trip here." Sakura nodded. "I guess. And I guess someone can get a bit distracted looking at Naruto," she replied. The second sentence was also aimed at herself, as she'd often found herself doing that lately.

"Huh? Naruto-san? What about him?" Matsuri asked, looking very confused. This, in turn, made Sakura confused. "Naruto? The one you were staring at?"

Matsuri blinked before blushing and waving her hands in front of her. "Oh! No, I wasn't looking at Naruto-san, I was looking at-"

She stopped, both of her hands covering her mouth, her cheeks flushed. Sakura stared at her, trying to figure out who she had been talking about as she glanced back at the two Kages. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she grinned at Matsuri, her jealousy forgotten.

"Gaara? You were daydreaming about Gaara?"

Matsuri's eyes widened and her blush deepened. She shook her head vigorously, glancing nervously in the direction of the two males. Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "Oh my… I mean, I just never thought…"

Matsuri frowned at Sakura, dropping her hands. "What? He's nice."

Sakura grinned at her. "Oh, I'm sure he is. But you have a lot to tell me."

The older girl sighed, fixing Sakura with an exasperated look. "Fine…" Sakura smiled at her, her foul mood from before now gone.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura both walked along the halls of the huge castle that night, trying to find their room. They'd walked with Matsuri and Gaara back to their own rooms before setting off for theirs. The rooms were located on separate sides of the keep, mostly so that no nation had a chance to attack another. Not that Naruto and Gaara would ever do that to each other, it was just a precaution.

Along the way, Sakura noticed that Naruto seemed deep in thought and wasn't really talking to her. She reached out, touching his arm lightly when he jumped a little. Sakura frowned at him, causing him to look away guiltily. "Naruto? Are you okay?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, looking away so she couldn't see his face. Just as Sakura was ready to stop him and force him to look at her, he turned, grinning. "Sure Sakura-chan. I'm fine." His grin faded, just a little. Sakura noticed but didn't say anything. When Naruto had his mask up like this, even she was unable to get anything out of him. "Just thinking…"

Sakura watched him for a few more seconds before sighing and looking back down the corridor. "Fine then. If you say so."

Naruto nodded, looking away again.

They remained like that the entire way to their room. Even when they were inside, Naruto was silent, not fawning over the splendour of the room like he usually would.

Their room was actually a suite. It seemed to have a central area which had a couch, a table and a kitchen area with four doors. There were two doors to the bedrooms on one wall. Opposite that was a door to another bedroom and a bathroom. The wall opposite to where they'd entered was a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains. Their room was the same layout as the one the Suna shinobis had been given.

The two of them stood there for a moment, the room awkwardly silent. Finally, Sakura moved forward, saying "I'm going to bed."

Naruto stared at his feet and nodded. "Goodnight."

Sakura looked back one last time before walking over to one of the doors on the wall.

However, just as she began to open the door, Naruto's voice stopped her. "Sakura?"

She turned and saw a slightly nervous expression on his face. She began to feel a little nervous. After all, he hadn't even used the suffix with her name. He only did that when he was serious. "Naruto?"

He hesitated, seeing her beautiful green eyes of hers. "I… uh well… I … never mind. Goodnight."

He turned, walking purposefully towards his own room and went inside as fast as he could without looking _too_ obvious. Sakura watched him go, completely confused. _'What was that about?'_ she thought, before shrugging and going into her own room for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto sat in the cafeteria at around 8am. He was dead tired.

Naruto yawned, the tea in front of him not doing anything to help him. He'd barely slept at all the night before. He'd been thinking about what Gaara had said and it had made him too agitated to truly relax.

Naruto sighed as Hitomi came by and picked up his half eaten ramen bowl. She cast a worried glance at him before taking it away.

Naruto sighed, blinking his eyes sleepily at the tea in front of him. He briefly wondered if he should move it so he wouldn't fall asleep in it. '_Damn,' _he thought, _'Haven't been this tired since... the last time I thought about my feelings for Sakura...'_

Naruto let out a small groan, causing someone nearby to giggle. Naruto looked up, seeing Gaara, Kankuro and Matsuri watching him. "Tired, Naruto-san?" Matsuri asked with a small smile on her face.

Naruto nodded, and glared at Gaara. "Yeah. It's thanks to your Kazekage over here actually."

Gaara shrugged, sitting down opposite him. "I merely spoke the truth."

Naruto continued to glare at him until he eventually found it too tiring. He glanced around the cafeteria, seeing that it had filled up suddenly. Unlike the day before, today there were many Samurai in the cafeteria, eating and talking cheerfully. Naruto guessed that they would be heading out soon, replacing those who'd been patrolling during the night. As Naruto glanced around, he missed the sound of the cafeteria doors opening. Gaara, however, turned to look who it was. As soon as his eyes landed on the door, his blank expression became cold and hard.

"Naruto," he called, his eyes locked on the figure that was standing in the doorway. Naruto turned, also looking at the figure, his eyes confused until they came to rest on the hat the man wore on his head.

The Tsuchikage, a man who stood around 6 feet tall, his robes flowing around him, stood in the doorway. Even while just standing there, Naruto could feel the calm, cool aura he gave off. The man had tan skin, darker than either Naruto or Gaara, but not as dark as the Raikage or Bee. He had dark brown eyes which were currently scanning the room coldly. From under the Tsuchikage hat, Naruto could see small strands of short black hair. He seemed muscular, though not overly buff, his build like that of most ninja. He wore his robes sort of like a cape or a cloak, allowing the regular jounin shirt and pants underneath to show.

Eventually, his eyes passed over Naruto and the Suna trio. Naruto shivered at the look in the man's eyes. It was cold, like he wouldn't ever hesitate to cut you down.

The Tsuchikage made his way over, making long purposeful strides. Naruto watched him, his gaze locked onto the Tsuchikage's. Next to him, he could feel the calm aura that Gaara produced.

As the man strode up to him, Naruto suddenly noticed the two men standing with him. He'd been so lost in thought watching the Tsuchikage, he'd forgotten all about their presence. They both wore Iwagakure ANBU uniforms, a wolf and a bird mask on the two faces.

The fact that the Tsuchikage hid their identities was a little irritating to Naruto. Unlike the other nations, who allowed their bodyguards identities to be known, he'd purposely covered his up. It was insulting, basically saying that he couldn't trust them.

"Ah, Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama. How good to see you both," the Tsuchikage said, extending a hand out to Naruto first. Naruto nodded, giving his hand a shake. "Ah, Tsuchikage-sama," he replied, before being cut off.

"Oh, please, call me Ryuu. I am surprised to see the two of you here. After all, both Suna and Konoha are farther from the Land of Iron that Iwa."

Gaara shrugged, his eyes never leaving the man in front of him. Beside him, his two escorts stood tensely, their eyes never leaving the Tsuchikage's own escorts.

Ryuu smirked lightly at Naruto, looking as if he knew something that Naruto. "Oh, I almost forgot," he continued, his voice full of mock sympathy. Honestly, had Naruto not been able to see the smirk that seemed to grow along with his own anger, he might have believed him. "I heard about your teammate dying. I must offer my… condolences on his untimely death. I am surprised however that a man who'd been promoted to ANBU captain was defeated so easily. Perhaps he was not cut out for the job."

The rage that overtook Naruto was indescribable. He saw red, his vision clouded. His nails, all of a sudden much sharper and more _feral _than they'd been a moment before, dug into his palm as he tried to calm himself. For a brief moment, those around him felt the temperature drop at least 5 degrees. Even Ryuu looked slightly taken aback for the briefest of moments, though it was more surprise than fear, before that infuriating smirk was back on his face.

Naruto glared at the man, sure that his pupils were turning red as he spoke. "Aa, I'm sure you're very sorry to hear that," Naruto replied, his voice gravelly and sounding more animal than human. "He was a good shinobi. One who's death _will _be avenged."

Ryuu nodded, his eyes alight with fire at the unspoken challenge. "I'm sure he will be."

He took a step back, allowing Naruto to cool just a little. He nodded towards both Kages before him and turned around, walking out of the cafeteria doors.

As he got closer, Sakura suddenly rushed through them, her eyes searching the cafeteria. Eventually, after pausing for the briefest moment on Naruto's raging form, she came to meet the gaze of Ryuu. He gave her a patronizing look, but smirked again, nodding towards her. "Ah, Sakura-san. How nice to see you."

Sakura glared at him, wondering what he'd done to upset Naruto so much. Not that it really mattered. Whatever he had done, the simple act of making Naruto feel any sort of negative emotion made Sakura want to punch the man through a wall. Maybe two.

"Tsuchikage-sama," she replied through gritted teeth. He grinned coldly down at her, his advantage in height by a few inches allowing him to, literally, look down on her.

When she looked up again, he was still grinning madly at her. It unnerved her, sending the smallest shiver imaginable up her spine. "I was telling your Hokage, that I was deeply saddened to hear of your former teammate's death," he said, obviously enjoying the way Sakura's breath hitched. "I also heard that it was you, the pride of the shinobi medical world, who was in charge of healing him. And yet you were unable to do a thing. Such a shame," he continued, shrugging nonchalantly, as if he was talking about the weather.

Sakura felt her skin go cold at the mention of Sai and how it had been _her _who'd been unable to fail him. All the work, the reassurance Naruto and Kakashi had down for her on their trip here, the thanks made by the surviving members of the team; it was all cut away by those few words. _She'd _failed him.

She felt tears come to her eyes when suddenly Naruto's calming presence was beside her, though he was brimming with anger again. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura could just make out the shape of the sharp, fox-like claws on Naruto's fingers.

"Ryuu," Naruto said, his voice a chilling calm that seemed to send shivers down the spines of everyone within the room, even the unshakeable Gaara and the currently non-smirking Tsuchikage. The only one who didn't was Sakura, who felt his warm hand on her back, reassuring her. "I am sure that you do not mean to say that it is Sakura's fault that my teammate is dead."

Ryuu stared speechlessly at Naruto for a moment before that grin was on his face again. Sakura wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but she thought she saw his hands shake just a little bit.

"Of course not, Hokage-sama. I'm sure she did everything possible and then some."

Naruto nodded, his eyes still blazing in fury.

"The ones at fault are obviously those who attacked him and those who ordered the attack. Of course, since you seemed so well informed, I hope you will be able to inform me if you hear anything about this."

Ryuu nodded again, seeming to have regained some of his composure. "Of course Hokage-sama."

Ryuu turned away and walked out of the cafeteria. His guards followed after him a second later, the fear Naruto had gripped them in finally fading away. Naruto glared after them for a moment before turning worried, blue eyes to Sakura.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his question bearing several meanings.

Sakura nodded, making a large warm smile appear on Naruto's face. "Good. That's all that matters." Naruto walked over to Gaara then, dragging the Kazekage, who still seemed to be in shock at Naruto's little outburst, over to where Hitomi was now bringing out more food. Matsuri, finally regaining the feelings in her legs, walked over to Sakura.

"Wow. I've never seen Naruto angry like _that_."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Neither have I."

Matsuri grinned at Sakura, prompting one of Sakura's brows to shoot up in question. "I've also never seen him so protective of someone," she said, still grinning. Sakura rolled her eyes and started to walk towards the table where Naruto was calling her over, his fourth bowl of ramen already finished.

'_Thank you, Naruto.'_

* * *

The Tsuchikage strode down the hall angrily, his two escorts trying to keep up.

"Tsuchikage-sama-"

"Did you see that monster" Ryuu asked to no one in particular. Ryuu had never felt fear like that before. Even when he'd insulted the man's –no, monster's- teammate, nothing had compared to the aura he'd given off after insulting his other teammate. His hands were still shaking!

"That- that… _thing _is not fit to lead a village. No. It needs to be taken care of."

The two escorts looked at each other before _Wolf _stepped forward, a hand hesitantly reaching for Ryuu's shoulder. "Ryuu-sama?"

He spun around, a snarl on his face, causing _Wolf _to pull his hand back sharply. "Are the others in place?"

The two guards nodded, making Ryuu's grin from before reappear. "Good. That demon can rest easy now. He has no idea what awaits him tomorrow. You have the poison?"

The two of them nodded, one bringing a small vial of light violet liquid from under their armour. "Yes. This should work against the Kyuubi. We're not sure about the Hachibi, but our latest intelligence suggests that he will not be arriving with the Raikage, so we don't need to worry about him."

Ryuu nodded again. "Good. Once the Kyuubi is dealt with, those fools on our village council will see the advantageous position we're in and will finally allow us to proceed. Besides, it seems that Konoha's medical chief is here along with the Copy-nin. If they are taken out, the threat posed by Konoha will weaken. Then we can attack."

_Wolf _nodded again. "But what about Kiri? I've heard that their council isn't happy about the mission involving Konoha's ANBU commander."

Ryuu shook his head. "Doesn't matter. They are greedy fools and can be bought easily. Now, does everyone have the poison?"

The two of them nodded and Ryuu smirked again. "Good. Tomorrow then."

He grinned again, making his way to his room much more calmly than before.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey there, sorry this has taken so long. School's been hell.**

**As always, thanks to AbaraiSuki for reading this beforehand XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto :'(**

Naruto couldn't help the grin that formed on his face as he watched Sakura huff at him in annoyance. He wasn't sure why he always did it, but he loved annoying Sakura like this. He figured that he enjoyed the way she seemed to fuss over him when he did and he constantly found new ways to annoy her just to see her get worked up like this.

At the moment, she was trying to correct him on his manners, minutes before they were to leave to meet the other kages.

"You think this is funny Naruto?" she asked as she saw his grin. Naruto's expression turned to one of mock seriousness and shook his head.

"But Sakura-chan, why can't I call the Raikage ojii-chan? He's old!"

Sakura growled at him and Naruto had to fight desperately to stop the corners of his moth from turning up into another grin.

"You know perfectly well why you can't call him that. It's rude! Call him Raikage-sama. Same with all of the others. Even Gaara."

Naruto let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Fine. But I can call the Mizukage obaa-chan right? I mean, come on, she's like… 100!"

Sakura just groaned, rubbing her temples in annoyance. "No. And she's not 100. She's only in her 30s!"

He shrugged. "That is old for a shinobi."

He saw Sakura take a deep breath in front of him and braced himself. He knew that she only did that when she was preparing to physically hurt him. Even after all these years, Naruto had to wonder how exactly she managed to scare the crap out of not only him, but most of the most powerful shinobi of Konoha, with just the glare she was about to give him.

Sure enough, a moment later, her eyes narrowed, her gaze blazing in annoyance. "Naruto," she whispered, her voice telling him to knock it off.

He smiled at her. "Fine, Sakura-chan. I'll be polite. But only because you told me to."

She rolled her eyes, though he didn't miss the small smile she tried to hide from him. "Hmm, I'm sure," she muttered.

A knock on the door stopped him from replying. After telling them to enter, Kakashi poked his head around, smiling under his mask as he spotted his two former students.

"The Raikage and Mizukage have arrived. The summit will begin now."

Naruto and Sakura nodded and both of them followed him as he left the room.

They walked down a long corridor towards the meeting. The summit was to take place in the same room it had all those years ago before the 4th Shinobi War. Naruto only hoped that this would go a lot more peacefully than the last summit had.

"Naruto. Please be polite in this meeting," Sakura said as she walked by his side. Naruto glanced over at her, giving her a small smile. "Of course, Sakura-chan."

"And please try to keep calm. Don't respond to anything that they say."

Naruto nodded again. "You worry too much, Sakura-chan. I'll be fine."

Sakura looked up at him and frowned.

"What about yesterday though? You really reacted to the Tsuchikage. You can't let that happen in the summit."

Naruto sighed. "I know. I'll try to keep calm."

Sakura watched him, still frowning. "Even if they bring up what happened to Sai?"

Without hesitating, Naruto nodded. "Yes. I'll be fine. Besides, Sai died trying to stop this whole thing. If I started a war over his death, that would be sort of insulting, don't you think?" He looked over at her, a grinning. Sakura's frown only deepened.

"But yesterday… you got so upset," Naruto shrugged. "That wasn't about what he said about Sai. That was because of what he said about you."

Sakura blinked. "What?" When Naruto didn't say anything, Sakura just shook her head, looking in front of her again. They were approaching the doors to the meeting hall. "Well… as much as I appreciate that, please don't start a war over me. It's not worth it."

Naruto chuckled and wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders, bringing her in for a one handed hug. "Well I guess starting a war over it would be a little much," he said, feeling Sakura nod. "But still, I don't like it when they insult the most important person in my life."

He removed his arm from around her, pulling away slightly. He didn't want to look at her, sure that his cheeks were slightly red from embarrassment. After a moment, he could feel her gaze settle on him, could feel the confusion in her eyes. But as she was about to ask him something, Kakashi said "Okay, Hokage-sama. We're here."

Both Naruto and Sakura suddenly noticed that they were in front of the door to the meeting hall. After a moment, Naruto nodded, striding forward and pushing the doors open. Sakura and Kakashi followed quickly afterwards. '_Here we go_,' Sakura thought to herself, praying that everything would work out.

* * *

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he noticed the victorious smirk on Ryuu's face. God, the man was annoying. Bastard.

As he walked up to the seat that had been assigned to him, he nodded in greeting to Gaara, who gave him a barely perceptible nod back.

"Raikage-sama," Naruto greeted the older man, bowing his head respectfully. Then his eyes turned on to the last remaining Kage within the room. It had been a while since something that didn't concern Sakura had gotten his blood to boil so fiercely. In fact, he'd have to say that the last time he'd felt this much _hatred _within him would have been back when he fought Madara, or when he faced down Nagato after he'd attacked Konoha.

"Mizukage-sama," he managed to get out, his voice tight and clipped. She nodded back, though she had the decency to look ashamed of herself. It was then that Naruto noticed that he was at one end of the semi-circular table while the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage were on the other end. It seemed that Kira, who had already taken his place as mediator, knew exactly who should not be placed within arm's reach of each other.

At the front of the room, Kira cleared his throat, gathering the attention of all 5 Kages. "Please, everyone, let's begin."

He motioned for them to sit down, which they did. Behind each leader, their 2 escorts watched on with constant vigilance.

"Now, Naruto," the Raikage began, disregarding titles as he usually did, "Why have you called all of us here?"

Naruto frowned at him. Surely he'd heard what had happened. Gaara had known, and he was the only one who wasn't involved.

"Didn't you hear what happened between the Mizukage and my ANBU?" Naruto asked, genuinely confused.

The Raikage nodded, though he seemed unconcerned. "And? This is an issue between Kiri and Konoha, isn't it? You didn't need the rest of us here to babysit you."

Before Naruto could respond Ryuu spoke up, that confident smirk still in place. "I agree Raikage-sama. I do not see why we are all needed here."

He received a small hum in agreement from the Raikage. From the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Gaara giving him a look from his spot beside him, blatantly telling him to get on with it.

"I knew Tsunade shouldn't have given up her title yet. You're far too young. Too inexperienced," the Raikage continued, not at all concerned at the amount of disrespect he was showing.

Naruto allowed him to rant, to continue. He'd see in the end. Besides, things never had been right between him and the Raikage after their little confrontation in the war.

"The reason that I called this meeting," Naruto said, using every ounce of patience he had, "was so that I could confront both the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage about this. I also wanted both you and the Kazekage to be aware of their intentions, Raikage-sama."

The Raikage looked amused, as did the Tsuchikage. Naruto held back a sigh. He really wasn't cut out for the whole political scheming thing. Then again, he figured Sakura or Kakashi would be good at it. He'd just have to try to think like them then.

He looked right into Ryuu's eyes, willing every ounce of anger he'd gathered against the man to show in his expression. "You agreed with the elders of Kiri to attack Konoha together. After you were done with us, you would turn around and take out Kumo next, leaving you two as the strongest nations with the lands gained from your attacks."

The Tsuchikage looked at him in astonishment. Or rather, he faked it. Naruto had no doubts that the man knew exactly what he was talking about. A quick side glance at the Raikage also told Naruto that he was _very _interested to find out where he'd learned this.

"Hokage-sama! Where have you come up with these… these… delusions? We would _never_ attack neither you nor Kumo. What the Mizukage and Kiri have done is of no concern to us," Ryuu said, doing his best to act innocent. And if it hadn't been for the fact that Naruto had _proof _that this was exactly what he'd been planning, he might have fallen for his act.

The Mizukage glanced over at him, a furious and betrayed look on her face. Naruto couldn't blame her however. Ryuu was basically leaving Kiri as a public enemy, something to focus on while he continued to prepare to attack them.

"My men heard the Mizukage confess to her men that Kiri's participation in this whole thing was because of the influence _you _have within their council," Naruto said, remaining calm.

Both the Raikage and the Tsuchikage looked at him like he was an idiot. He'd been expecting that. After all, this wasn't exactly the greatest proof. There were too many ways for this information to be unreliable and untrue. Even Gaara glanced at him a little uncomfortably, as if to say '_that's all you have?'_

"That's not enough proof!" the Raikage said, glaring down at Naruto as he rose from his seat. "You can't just go around saying things like this because someone told you she," he said, jamming a finger in the Mizukage's direction, "said so!"

Naruto glanced up at him, calm despite the outburst. "I never said that was all of my proof. I just wanted to see if the Mizukage would admit it. I'm giving her a chance to clear her name here."

He turned his gaze to the Mizukage, who looked a little uncomfortable in the spotlight, though she kept her cool overall. "Well, Mizukage? Is this true?"

Every eye in the meeting turned to look at her, all of them silently asking the same question.

The Mizukage glanced at every one of them, even Kira who was gazing on in curiosity. After holding the Tsuchikage's gaze for a fraction of a second longer than the others, she shook her head. "No, it's not true."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Really? Because, you see, I have this scroll…" he said, producing said scroll from under his Hokage robes. It was an exact copy of the scroll Shikamaru had brought to him, all those days ago in his office. He tossed it to the Raikage, who opened it cautiously and read the contents.

"That scroll was found on an Iwa missing Nin in our territory. My Jounin Commander brought that to me before this whole thing began. It's a letter from one of Kiri's council members, promising their support in the Tsuchikage's plans," he paused, allowing the Raikage to absorb everything that he read. "After taking out Konoha, they were going to go after Kumo. They didn't like the way our villages had our Jinchuriki."

The Raikage looked furious as his eyes swept the scroll. After a moment, he glared at both the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage. Both of them looked a little paler than they had before. "You! You would dare?"

Kira stood up at that point, obviously trying to calm the seething man. "Raikage-sama, please calm down. Whatever issues you have here are to be settled peacefully, not with violence," he said, glaring at the Raikage. After a moment, the Raikage calmed himself, sitting back in his seat. However, Naruto could still see the anger he had brimming below the surface.

"Anyway," Naruto said, turning to look at Ryuu now, "I called this meeting so that you could see how pointless this is. Why go through the unnecessary bloodshed? Going to war would just cause more pain and anger and become a source for revenge and vengeance later on."

As Naruto spoke, he was briefly presented with the image of Sasuke, his eyes glaring hatefully at him, and he knew that it was those eyes that he? wanted to prevent, to keep from ever appearing again.

Ryuu was silent, looking a little shocked that Naruto had actually been able to turn the Raikage against him. However, after a moment, he smirked. "Oh well. I guess it would have come out eventually. Unfortunately, Hokage-sama, how can you prove that you didn't write that scroll, just to pin the blame on us?"

Naruto let out a long weary sigh. This was dragging on much to long. "We have the shinobi who was delivering it in custody. We can have him confess to it. In fact, he already has."

The Tsuchikage continued to smirk. "So he's in Konoha then?"

Naruto nodded, not sure where he was going with this.

"Well then, I guess that we'll just have to take him out before Kumo gets word of it then," he said after another pause, causing everyone in the room to watch him cautiously. "What? So you admit that you planned to attack us?" the Raikage asked.

The Tsuchikage laughed. "Yes. Yes we were. You and those… those… _monsters_," he said, pointing at Naruto. "You need to be destroyed. How long do you think our villages will last, with them running around? We need to destroy them. We will be the ones who rule in the end."

Every leader stood, staring at him in shock. Up behind their respective leaders, the bodyguards all tensed, all preparing for a fight.

"You need to stop this! Fighting will just lead to people being unhappy," Naruto said, trying hard to convince him to stop.

Ryuu just shook his head. "For a while, I'm sure. But when we win, people won't be as unhappy. And winning won't be very hard, with you out of the way."

Naruto's eyes widened and he stood from his chair, not liking the look on the Tsuchikage's face. Unfortunately, he was too slow. At that moment, several figures crashed into the room from the ceiling, all ready to attack every leader in the room, other than the Tsuchikage. Naruto's eyes widened as he noticed that several of them were aiming at him.

He dodged a few of them, at least 4. Most of them were wielding blades with , some sort of poison applied to the edge. Unfortunately, he couldn't dodge the fifth and the final shinobi to jump into the room and soon he was covered in the warm feeling of his blood that oozed from the new wound in his chest.

He stumbled back, barely even realizing as he unconsciously formed a Rasengan in one hand and connected it with the one who'd injured him right in the gut. He was mostly moving on instinct at the moment, as the pain from the wound briefly overcame any conscious thought.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard Sakura call out his name, right before a deafening explosion rocked the room. He glanced back, just as another one of his attackers fell to a quickly formed Rasengan.

The area where Sakura and Kakashi had been standing had been blown out by an explosion and several more shinobi were pouring through the hole in the wall. Kankuro and Matsuri were quick to engage them, but Kakashi and Sakura were nowhere in sight.

He began to allow his mind to direct him again, jumping over the slash of one of his three remaining original attackers, and he activated his Demon Shroud Cloak. Unfortunately, the instant he tried to access the Kyuubi's chakra, his entire body was wracked with pain, feeling as if his very blood was burning. He fell to his knees, which, coincidentally, allowed hims to dodge another sword slash that would have cost him his head.

Using every ounce of willpower he had, he fought off unconsciousness and, tried to ignore the pain that he now realized was coming from his wound. He quickly hit two more of his attackers with a simultaneous pair of Rasengan's, one in each hand, before finishing off the last one with a quick hit to the back of his neck.

As he took a moment to gather his breath and he tried to assess how bad his wounds were. Though he'd only suffered the one hit, it burned unlike any wound he'd ever gotten before. And unlike normal, this wound wasn't healing. No, instead, it was like the Kyuubi's chakra was actually eating away at the wound, sort of like when he went into his tailed forms.

He knew this was bad. He glanced around, anxious to find Sakura and Kakashi. As he finally spotted a spot of pink hair under some rubble a few meters away, one of the shinobi that'd come through the wall ran at him. And it took everything in Naruto's power to dodge.

* * *

Sakura groaned as she sat up, fighting to keep the black spots in her vision away. She needed to help Naruto. To keep him safe. She'd seen him take a hit, though she doubted that would be enough to stop him.

As she glanced around, she wondered what had happened to her. When she tried to move, however, a searing pain came over her from her back. She glanced over her shoulder and winced at the burn wounds she could barely see over her shoulder.

She took a deep breath, allowing her chakra to flow through her system, trying to heal the burns, even just a little. Slowly but surely, she felt the pain slowly ebb away. Her chakra felt like cool water to her back and she reveled in it for a moment, glad for the momentary relief it caused.

However, she heard the Tsuchikage laughing and she glanced over, surprised to see him standing over the limp form of Kira, who'd obviously gone to engage him. Sakura couldn't believe the man had been beaten. She hadn't seen how, but she guessed that he'd been overcome, too many attackers to defend against. She wondered where his bodyguards had gotten to and why they hadn't been there to help him. Then again, she wasn't doing a very good job of that either. To her horror, he wasn't moving. Sakura briefly considered going over to help him, when a sharp pain from her stomach stopped her. Turns out, she also had a few broken ribs.

Not that she was surprised. In fact, she would've expected herself to be in worse condition. She should be happy that she'd survived, if anything. As she allowed her chakra to flow through her system again, focusing on her ribs this time, she noticed that everyone, even the Mizukage, was under attack from the Tsuchikage's men.

The Mizukage growled as she took down another attacker, glancing down to a body nearby. Sakura noticed it was one of her bodyguards. Not one of those two that Sakura normally saw with her. Choujiro and Ao? Something like that. But either way, it seemed that this bodyguard had been killed while trying to defend the Mizukage.

As she took down another one of the Tsuchikage's men, the Mizukage glanced up, her eyes blazing in anger. "Ryuu!" she cried, turning the man's attention from the limp form of Kira to her. "What is the meaning of this?"

Ryuu sighed, looking like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And in a way, it was.

"Isn't it obvious? You were against my plan the whole time. You didn't want to do this. The council members were hesitant to join me because of you."

The Mizukage glared at him, trying to pour every ounce of hatred within her into her glare. "So you wanted to remove me? What would that accomplish?"

The Tsuchikage gave a small shrug, infuriating her more. "With you out of the picture, your council would be easier to manipulate." He paused, giving her that grin of his again. "Sorry about this," he said after a moment, looking not at all sorry.

With a roar, the Mizukage launched herself at the Tsuchikage, unleashing every technique and skill she had. She wouldn't stand for this.

Meanwhile, Sakura watched on, in shock that Ryuu could be so cold, so heartless. Not that she'd thought he was all sunshine and daisies or anything, but she'd figured he had at least a bit of respect for his allies. It seemed like even the Mizukage was his enemy now.

As Sakura slowly began to feel the pain from her ribs disappear, she turned her attention back to Naruto. He was fighting off two of the Tsuchikage's men right now, barely dodging their blades. He seemed a lot more sluggish than usual. Wondering what was going on, Sakura watched as he ducked then rolled to avoid the two men. As he rose, she noticed him grimace and briefly hold the wound that he'd suffered before.

At that moment, she suddenly came to a frightening realization. The wound wasn't healing. The Kyuubi's chakra, which normally instantly began to heal any wounds Naruto would suffer, wasn't doing anything.

But what could force the Kyuubi's chakra to do this?

She glanced over to the fallen blade of one of the fallen attackers nearby. Using one hand to focus her chakra on her ribs, she reached out with her free hand, pulling the blade towards her.

It was laced with a sort of poison. Using her free hand again, she activated her chakra scalpel, analyzing the substance. It was a unique poison, the likes of which she'd never seen before. Most of the ingredients were harmless, unable to hurt even a small child. This shouldn't have done anything to Naruto, even if it had made its way inside of his system.

However, one ingredient puzzled her. It was a small herb, one used in medicine that was used to cleanse dangerous or poisonous chakras. She'd worked with it before, using it on the wound that she'd received from the Kyuubi back on their first mission with Sai and Yamato.

Suddenly, everything seemed to click for her. This poison was cleansing the wound of chakra, keeping the Kyuubi from healing the wound. She wondered what effect that would have had on Naruto's body, considering he'd had the healing abilities of the Kyuubi his entire life. Suddenly being left without that would have left him even worse off than a normal person with the same wounds.

Sakura wondered if the Tsuchikage had considered that. As the thought of him being delighted with Naruto's suffering crossed her mind, Sakura suddenly felt an anger like she'd never felt before surge through her. She'd kill him! The instant her wounds had healed, she'd make the man regret ever hurting Naruto like that.

As she glanced back up, Sakura noticed that Naruto was still fighting the two men from before. He was even worse off now, barely being able to side-step the slashes. However, one of the shinobi, probably a little too enthusiastic at the idea of killing the Hokage, put too much force into his downward swing. His sword hit the ground, imbedding itself and causing the man to stumble off balance when he tried to pull it out.

Naruto took the chance, forming a Rasengan in one hand and preparing to hit him.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a body flew through the air, colliding with Naruto and inadvertently saving the other shinobi's life. As Naruto and the body rose from the ground, Sakura noticed that it was one of Kira's bodyguards.

Where had he been all this time? Where had he been when Kira had fallen?

She glanced around, trying to figure out what, exactly, had propelled him into Naruto. Unfortunately, the battle had become chaotic. Several samurai were now making their way into the room, trying to figure out who to attack. The other kages were all dealing with their respective attackers. The Raikage, with his one arm, had suffered a few wounds, though it was nothing serious. Gaara, with his ultimate shield, was still in one piece, though he was taking on around 5 or so shinobi. The Mizukage and the Tsuchikage were still locked in combat, none of the Tsuchikage's men brave enough to get close enough.

Returning her attention back to Naruto's fight, she noticed him and the Samurai who'd collided with him agree to help each other. Naruto turned his back on the man, preparing to take out the one he'd missed before.

But something wasn't right. The Samurai stood with his sword slack at his side, looking not at all concerned. That is, until Naruto turned his back on him. Then he raised his sword, the edge of it pointed right where Naruto's heart would be.

Sakura cried out for him, never before hearing such utter despair in her voice. Naruto tried to dodge, but he was slow, much too slow, and the sword had already been less than a foot from him. Sakura could only watch in horror as the Samurai plunged his blade through Naruto's chest.

The man laughed, pulling off his helmet to reveal the Hitai-ate of Iwagakure. He was one of Ryuu's men, not one of Kira's bodyguards. From somewhere across the room, Sakura could vaguely make out the sound of Ryuu laughing, no doubt feeling victorious as Naruto clutched at the metal blade protruding from his chest.

He fell to the ground, collapsing as if he no longer held any life within him.

And something in Sakura snapped.

Within an instant, she was next to the man who'd stabbed Naruto and was swinging him around by the arm almost like a club. She launched him through the air, straight at the Tsuchikage. She watched for a brief moment with satisfaction as the two men collided and Ryuu cried out in pain. She'd probably broken his arm when the 'Samurai's' armour had collided with him. Good.

Next she turned to the two people who'd originally been attacking Naruto. The both ran at her, swinging their swords downwards.

She side-stepped one of them and pulled out a kunai to block the other.

Using her free hand she pulled out a second kunai from her pouch and, using every bit of her 'superhuman strength', snapped the man's sword by crushing it between her own two kunai's.

The man didn't even realize what had hit him though as Sakura's foot connected with his ribs in a roundhouse kick and sent him flying through the air.

The other one, a more timid looking man, glance over in fear to where his friend had flown. Bad move.

She proceeded to kick him in the gut, sending him straight into an enemy who'd been sneaking up on Matsuri.

The older girl nodded her thanks, though Sakura barely took notice. She turned to Naruto, ignoring the screaming pain of her ribs as she activated her chakra again. He was pale, much too pale. She needed to heal him, and fast. Pulling him just a little bit farther away from the fighting, she began to work on him and hoped that she wasn't too late.

* * *

Kakashi groaned as he rose from the rubble of a wall he'd collided with before it had decided to collapse on him. He wondered how long he'd been out. His Jounin vest, he noticed, was singed and burnt. Not surprising, considering he'd been blown up.

He pulled up his Hitai-ate to activate his sharingan immediately. While he wasn't sure what was happening, he doubted that it wouldn't involve fighting. As his eyes took in the battlefield around him, one detail took up most of his attention.

His two students were huddled together, the familiar glow of Sakura's green chakra illuminating them. And Naruto was hurt, again. No, it was worse than normal. This actually looked bad. Judging from the look on Sakura's face, Kakashi found himself wondering for the first time in a long time if his blonde student would die.

How was this possible?

Naruto was one of the strongest shinobi Kakashi had ever had the pleasure of knowing. And he'd known quite a few powerful people. He just couldn't see Naruto being taken out like that.

But the look on Sakura's face told him otherwise. He'd never seen her so distraught, so anguished. Not even in any situation regarding Sasuke. Even Sai hadn't made her look like _that_.

And truthfully, that scared him.

One of the two final people he cared for in his life was dying. And he couldn't do anything to stop it, just like with the others. With Rin, Obito, Minato, Sai… Sasuke.

He would _not _lose another person who was precious to him.

He tore his eyes away from the scene, trying to figure out what the cause of his students' pain was. And then his eyes fell upon the Tsuchikage. He was fighting the Mizukage, though one of his arms was hanging limply. It looked broken. Yet, despite the pain he was feeling, he still wore that victorious smirk of his.

He thought he'd won. He thought he'd killed Naruto. Around him, Kakashi noticed that even the other Kages were having trouble. The Tsuchikage had obviously brought the best.

Kakashi began to move forward, towards the Raikage, who had just fallen to one knee after his two bodyguards had been defeated. He had several light cuts all over his body and looked ready to keel over. The three shinobi who surrounded him looked exhausted but happy. They knew that they had him, that he wouldn't last much longer.

Yet, in their joy at having been victorious, they never even saw Kakashi coming.

Before they'd even hit the ground, Kakashi was moving on, searching for his next target. As he turned in Gaara's direction, ready to help the young Kazekage out, he felt himself move with a determination he hadn't felt in years. After all, it took a lot to make him this worked up.

But seeing Naruto, laying there looking so helpless, it had sparked something in him. Kakashi activated his Raikiri quickly, plunging it through the chest of one of the 4 shinobi after Gaara. Gaara stared at him with something akin to fear. Good. He hoped that the Tsuchikage and his men feared him as well, that they realized the mistake they'd made in targeting those important to him. He wouldn't let them get away with this. And if Naruto _didn't _make it through this… well he hoped then that the heavens themselves were watching over them.

They'd need it.

* * *

**A/N: Please review XD**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, so I've been gone for... what, months now? And yes, I'm very sorry about that. Second year of university is a lot harder than I'd originally thought. My bad XD On the bright side, I just finished my last exam for the semester this morning and I already have another chapter ready to be posted, so that the delay I put everyone through doesn't happen again. Again, I'm sorry to anyone who was actually interested in the story before I sort of went AWOL.**

**Anyway, one thing I wanted to mention. Something very... sad happens in this chapter. Yes, sad. BUT, please keep reading. This is a NaruSaku, and I don't believe it depressing endings. Well actually, its more that I'm incapable or writing a depressing ending. So... yeah XD**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I own Naruto! Mwuhahaha. Wait, what? This isn't the place where all my dreams come true? Damn, guess I don't then. Boo.**

* * *

Sakura stared down in horror at the wound in Naruto's chest. It was large and he was losing too much blood. Naruto was already looking deathly pale and Sakura was trying hard not to notice the similarities between him and Sai when she had been healing _him_.

As if the blood loss and the gaping hole in his chest weren't bad enough, it seemed as though the Kyuubi's chakra was making the wound worse. Sakura let out a shuddering breath, her hand unconsciously touching the spot on her arm where three scars remained from her own encounter with the poisonous chakra.

She couldn't be sure of the exact cause of this effect. After all, sometimes it took _days _to identify the effects and ingredients of a poison. And it was beginning to look like even surviving a few minutes would be a miracle.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of these thoughts. Naruto would make it. She would see to it if it killed her.

She looked around, determining whether or not it was safe enough to begin to heal him. To her surprise, most of the enemies had been dealt with. There were few left, most of them being dealt with by the Raikage and Gaara.

As she glanced in the direction of the Tsuchikage, Sakura could barely believe her eyes.

Ryuu was being pushed back by none other than Kakashi. As cliché as the thought was, Sakura could only compare the man to a hurricane, though the destruction he caused seemed to be more controlled and focused than a force of nature could ever accomplish. He pushed the Tsuchikage back, attacking over and over again and not letting up. Were Sakura not dealing with a dying teammate already, she would've been annoyed at Kakashi and worried about the amount of chakra he was using.

But Naruto was more important at the moment.

She paused briefly as she mulled that thought over.

No, as important as her former sensei was to her, Naruto would always be more important.

Her hands began to glow, the familiar green light illuminating the nearby debris, the warmth of her chakra flooding the formerly cool air. As she placed her hands over the wounds, she felt her chakra enter his system, just as it had many times before.

She couldn't help but chuckle sadly. She always hated this part of her job. Not the patching people up. I mean, what kind of person would train to be a medic but hate healing people? No, the part she hated about being a medic-nin, one of the most skilled, in fact, was that she was always patching Naruto up after a mission. And it killed her every time.

She'd healed him several times before. During the war and after, not to mention all of the missions they'd been on before that. In fact, she was so used to the process that she didn't even need to concentrate on what her chakra was doing. It was like her chakra itself knew what to do. She simply sat there, allowing her chakra to flow through his system, speeding up the healing process and cleansing the wound.

While she waited, she allowed her eyes to travel up Naruto body. She'd removed his shirt and robes so that she could get to the wound, and it gave her a full view of his torso.

Unfortunately, that also included the scars he'd received over the years.

She sighed sadly as her eyes noticed one near his neck. That one had been a wound from one of the Edo Tensei zombies in the war. One of the former jinchuriki, she thought. Whoever it was, they'd gotten close to Naruto and nearly cut off his head. If it hadn't been for Bee, Naruto was sure he'd have been killed.

Sakura had scolded him for nearly an hour after that, right before pulling him into a hug and telling him he needed to be more careful.

Her eyes moved down his chest and noticed one near the center of his chest. That was where Sasuke's chidori had hit him the first time. Though the Kyuubi's chakra had healed it, it still held a faint scar, one that still sent a pang of guilt through Sakura every time she saw it.

As she continued to look at all of the wounds on his chest, she realized that almost every single one had been healed by her. Those that hadn't had been healed by either Tsunade or the Kyuubi. But most, at least 80% of them, had been her. She smiled a little sadly, glancing up at Naruto's face. To her surprise, he looked very calm. He didn't look at all in pain like he had a moment ago. _'Must be the adrenaline,_' she thought to herself.

He also happened to be staring at her. Feeling a little self-conscious, Sakura put on her best nagging face and frowned at him. "You just can't keep out of trouble, huh?"

He grinned, though it was so weak that the sight nearly made her cry. Naruto should _never _look like that. He didn't _deserve _to look uncomfortable in any way.

"Sorry Sakura-chan…" Naruto replied. His voice was gravelly. He reached up with his arm and gently cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking it lightly. She leaned into it, using every bit of willpower she had to hold back her tears.

"You need to stop worrying me, baka," she said, her watery eyes meeting his. To her relief, the spark that she'd always noticed within him, one that most people found themselves drawn to, was still present. That was good. It gave her hope.

Naruto grinned again, his hand dropping away slowly. He seemed to be losing a lot of energy, which brought Sakura's mind back to the task at hand.

"I need you to stay awake, okay?" she asked him. He paused for a moment before nodding weakly. He didn't really need to be told that. After all, a lot of his wounds from past fights had been bad enough that she had told him that before. But this wound was also among the worst he'd ever received. Again, she found he was injured too much for her liking. She gave him a small smile and turned back to the wound.

What she saw sent a cold chill through her.

In the entire time she hadn't been looking, she figured that the bleeding, at the very least, would stop. Her chakra should have been flowing within his system, speeding up his natural recovery processes. To her horror, the wound still looked exactly the same, if not worse. It was as if she'd done nothing at all.

She didn't understand. What was happening? Why was her chakra not working?

She glanced over at one of the fallen swords again, her mind going over every little fact she had learned about the poison so far.

First off, it was made from ingredients that are usually used in medicines, not poisons. Very few of the ingredients were harmful.

Secondly, the poison seemed to only affect the wounded area, instead of spreading through Naruto's system. This meant the poison was either applied too lightly, or it was designed to be that way. She had a feeling it was the latter, as the Tsuchikage wouldn't have messed up on a simple mistake like this. He obviously felt a strong need to deal with Naruto.

Finally, it contained an ingredient that neutralized chakra, mostly used to cleanse poisonous chakra from a wound.

She paused, considering her information.

It contained an ingredient that was used to get rid of chakra. Was that it? She glanced down at the wound, where she could see small amounts of the Kyuubi's red chakra spring up from time to time continuing its rampage across Naruto's wound.

She frowned. Even the Kyuubi's chakra was unable to heal Naruto. Instead of healing the wound, all the chakra seemed to be doing was cause damage to the surrounding area, which just made the wound worse.

She growled quietly. She wouldn't let Ryuu win. Naruto would live.

It took all of her willpower to stop herself from sobbing.

She couldn't lose Naruto like this.

* * *

He was rage in mortal form. All of his enemies fell away before him, none of them able to stand up to him once he got going.

He ducked under one more of the underlings' sword swings before he sprang up, slicing upward with a flash of his kunai. The man fell to his knees, shock written across his face. Kakashi didn't even spare him a second glance as he moved forward. This man was not important. No, he was merely an obstacle, thrown in the way of his true goal.

No, the Tsuchikage was the one he wanted.

He ran over to where the Tsuchikage was locked in battle with the Mizukage. The man barely even knew what was happening before Kakashi's hands were forming the seals for one of his many jutsus.

_Raiton: Raijū Hashiri no Jutsu. _All around his hand, the air began to crackle and, and instant later, a small beast made of lightning was running at the Tsuchikage. Both he and the Mizukage were caught by surprise and both jumped back, not sure whom exactly he was aiming at. The beast gave a silent roar and began to chase Ryuu down. He scowled, running through several hand seals of his own.

Luckily for him, he happened to have an affinity for wind Justus.

_Fūton: Renkūdan_

Ryuu spit out a small blast of air. The lightning beast, being made of electricity, dissipated into nothing.

The Tsuchikage smirked, obviously pleased at besting that technique. At least, he did until he noticed Kakashi leaping through the air, his hand crackling and sparking from the electricity he had concentrated around it.

He formed his hand seals again, getting ready to hit Kakashi as he hit the ground.

_Fūton: Renkūdan!_

Kakashi was too fast, however. The instant his foot made contact with the dirty and debris covered floor of the former conference room, he pushed off, rolling to the side as the spot he'd been standing in before was obliterated by the air bullet. Then he launched himself again, thrusting his arm out in an attempt to stab his _Raikiri _into Ryuu's chest.

To his annoyance, the Tsuchikage moved back, out of reach. Then again, Kakashi figured that if he wasn't capable of _that much_, he wouldn't be the Tsuchikage.

He sighed, leaping out of the way of another _Renkūdan_ erased the spot he'd been standing in before to nothing. He quickly formed some more hand seals, even as a small part of his brain told him he was using too much chakra. But he didn't care. He would not, could not, allow this man to take away one of the only precious people he had left.

_Doton: Doryūheki!_

Just as a fourth _Renkudan _was about to slam into his head, a wall of earth rose up from beneath the floor of the conference room, breaking the through wood floor and blocking the air bullet from hitting Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed as he began to plan he next set of actions. The Tsuchikage would no longer be a danger to Naruto after this day. He would make sure of that.

* * *

The world was silent and unmoving. He glanced around, trying to figure out exactly what had happened. He could see his vision fading in and out, his eyelids as heavy as lead. He wanted to sleep so badly. Why couldn't he? What was stopping him? It would've been so easy and he was so tired that he was sure he'd fall asleep within moments.

So why didn't he?

He glanced downwards as he felt a small spark of pain. Unable to move his head, his eyes were the only thing that could move. As a result, all he saw was a head of pink hair.

If it didn't hurt to breathe he would've sighed.

_She _was the reason he couldn't sleep. She'd told him not to, in the gentlest voice he'd ever heard her use. He paused wondering at the reason for her tone. Not to mention the tears he'd clearly seen in her eyes. She really had beautiful eyes. Even with tears ready to fall like that. But what was the reason for those tears?

Another spark of pain caused him to mentally roll his eyes.

Ah yes. The hole in his chest. _That _was why.

He felt light headed and unable to think. The pain had dulled now and he only really felt those small sparks of pain that sprung up every now and again.

He glanced down again, trying to figure out the how much more she needed to heal him. But as his eyes locked onto that head of pink hair again, he found that he didn't really want to look at anything other than that.

It was such beautiful hair. It was something that had drawn him to her in the first place. Not that that should have been surprising. Pink hair wasn't exactly common and would draw the gaze of anyone who saw it.

He paused as Sakura raised her head from where she'd been leaning over him, her full features coming into view. She was biting her lip, he noticed. Something she did when she was nervous. It was also something he found completely and utterly adorable. It made him want to kiss her. Then again, most of what she did made him want to kiss her. How he had gone about denying that for _years _was a mystery to him. Really, maybe Sakura had been on to something all those times she called him an idiot.

He studied her features for a few moments. She was dirty, covered with debris from when the explosion had rocked the room. Dirt and chunks of wood stuck in her hair. Her face was pale, her breathing heavier and more laboured than usual. Yet, despite this, her brows were furrowed, her eyes narrowed in concentration. He wondered if she ever realized how _good _she looked, even in a situation like this. He doubted it. Even when she wasn't covered in dirt and blood, Sakura wasn't always as confident as she let on. Despite her vanity in her younger years, the whole confession to Sasuke thing had deeply damaged her self-confidence, something he still blamed the teme for to this day.

He did sigh this time, despite the pain that shot up through his chest. He cringed, drawing her attention from his wound to his face.

"Naruto?" she asked, her voice full of worry. He didn't like that tone. If she ever used a genuinely worried tone, it usually meant that he was in very, _very _bad shape.

"Y…yeah?" he asked, trying to speak even as his first attempt came out as a sort of forced wheeze. He noticed her brow furrow even more, her worry increase. He didn't like that. Sakura shouldn't look so sad. He smiled up at her, even though even he could tell it wasn't up to his usual standards. Then again, it wasn't exactly easy to reproduce the smile he reserved for _her _when heone had a gaping hole in his chest.

Nevertheless, he noticed the corners of her mouth turn up in a slight smile.

"Baka…" she muttered, though he noticed there wasn't as much playfulness in her voice as usual. Despite all the times he managed to get under her skin or the times she found it necessary to nag him about something, he always knew that she never really meant any of her insults. Except maybe when she called him a pervert, but even he knew he sort of deserved those. But now, she was sad and he frowned knowing that it was his fault.

"Sakura-chan…" he wheezed again, "That's not nice…" he paused again. God, it hurt so much to speak! It seemed that Sakura noticed this because she gently placed a finger on his lips, shushing him as she briefly glanced at his wound for a moment. He didn't miss the expression of despair that briefly passed over her face.

But then it was gone and she was looking back at him, her eyes full of the worry she tried so desperately to hide from him.

"Please Naruto, focus only on staying awake. Just… don't push yourself," she said, her voice weak and full of emotion. He could tell she was ready to cry, but was holding it back. She always had cried easily. Then again, if he thought back, he seemed to remember that every one of _those _instances related to either him or Sasuke.

As he watched her return to her work, he pushed at the darkness creeping into his vision. He felt so weak now. A nap would have been nice, even for just a little bit. But Sakura had told him not to. And he trusted her above all others, so he would stay awake, if only to make her happy.

Time passed and Sakura tried her hardest to heal Naruto. He kept himself awake, even as his surroundings were consumed by the darkness within his vision. It was like a shadow was engulfing the world around him, the only thing keeping him there being Sakura. He grinned at the thought.

It was at that moment that he noticed her tears flowing freely now. Why was she crying?

She turned to him, her eyes now full of despair. Giving him a very watery smile, she tried to speak. Her voice cracks and she needs to clear her throat before trying again. Even when sound does come out, it's quiet, almost a whisper.

"Naruto, I want you to promise me something," she said, her eyes locked onto his. He nodded, his energy now long gone. He couldn't even speak anymore.

"Please, promise you'll stay with me. That you… you'll pull through this."

His eyes widened, his brain not sure that what he'd heard was correct. But as he gazed into her eyes, reading her emotions, he finally understood.

He was dying and she didn't know how to save him.

This was her last hope. After all, he always kept his promises, didn't he? Well, to her he did. He would do anything for her, he would die for her. He doubted at times that even she understood how far he'd go for her.

But this was something he realized he couldn't promise.

Because he was dying and if Sakura herself couldn't save him, he doubted anyone could. As much as he wanted to nod, to tell her that he would pull through, he knew that it would be wrong to give her false hope.

He gave her a grim smile. It told her all she needed to know and she burst into tears, sobbing freely now.

He looked away, unable to watch her cry. Not to mention he was more than a little upset that this was the end.

There was so much he had yet to accomplish! He still needed to beat Shikamaru in Shogi. He had to read all of those old scrolls Ero-sennin had left behind. Kakashi had promised him once to spar with him, one-on-one.

He still needed to have kids. To marry someone. To live and grow old with them.

And there was only one person he wanted to do those last ones with.

He turned to look at Sakura again, watching as she wiped at her tears in vain. His eyes settled on her lips. Those lips he'd been so afraid to kiss, afraid that it would ruin all that they had. But hell, he was dying! And if he couldn't do all the things he'd mentioned earlier, then he knew exactly what he wanted his final memory of life to be.

XXXXX

Sakura was crying freely now, wiping her tears with the back of her hands. She couldn't do it. She couldn't save him. His wound just wouldn't heal and that damned poison was stopping her chakra from healing it.

It surprised her that even the Kyuubi's chakra was unable to heal the wound, being as powerful as it was. Maybe if the Naruto focused the Kyuubi's chakra into the wound or something, she'd have a chance. But that was impossible, since Naruto lacked the proper chakra control for something so precise and even if he did, he was too weak now to do it.

Suddenly, a low moan brought her attention back to Naruto's face, her hands held absent-mindedly over his wound, trying to give him as much time as possible.

His eyes opened, revealing those brilliant blue irises she loved so much. He glanced over at her, a determined look in his eyes. It surprised her. This was a look he usually reserved for a particularly tough battle, training, or anything involving Sasuke. She couldn't recall a single time he'd looked like that at her.

"Sa…Sakura-chan," he wheezed out, the sound breaking Sakura's heart.

She leaned closer, so that she could hear him better. He placed a hand on her cheek again and she found herself leaning into that.

They remained like that for a moment, allowing Naruto to gather the strength to continue. When he did he grinned weakly at her. "Sakura-chan…" he repeated, the rest of his sentence trailing off as his voice fell to even quieter than a whisper.

In an attempt to hear what he'd just said, Sakura found herself leaning in a little more, bringing her face within a few inches of his.

Suddenly, he grinned again and with a strength neither she nor he himself knew he possessed, he pulled her head forward.

Sakura gasped at the feeling of his lips on hers and for a few painfully slow seconds she was frozen.

Then she began to return the kiss, even as tears began to stream down her face.

The kiss itself was pretty chaste, since Naruto barely had the energy to talk let alone kiss. But despite that, the emotions Naruto was trying to express within that one kiss were so intense that Sakura could already feel a new batch of tears. In that one moment alone, she could practically _feel _the love he was feeling for her.

After a moment of just feeling his lips on hers, of feeling how much he loved her, she felt him pull back just enough to speak.

"Sakura-chan, I love you. I'll always love you," he said, his voice so weak she had to strain her ears to even hear it.

Her eyes met his and she couldn't believe the sheer desire and longing she saw in his. Then again, she had no doubt that it was mirrored in her own eyes, just as intensely.

"I love you too," she replied, her voice strong and sure.

At that moment she saw Naruto's eyes widen, his grin change into a complete smile that overtook his entire expression. It was so happy, so full of pure joy that Sakura felt her own lips turn up into her own smile at the sight. He pressed another kiss to her lips before pulling away.

Except after a moment she realized that he wasn't pulling away at all. He was falling, his eyes closed peacefully with his mouth still set into that wide smile of his.

Sakura felt her heart stop. Her hands, which were still pressed to his wound, trying to heal him, stopped. Both grabbed his wrist, attempting to find a pulse.

"Naruto!" she cried, her voice strained slightly. He didn't answer. Sakura felt her breathing quicken, her heart breaking more and more with every passing moment. "Naruto!" she called a little louder.

Finally, her hands were able to work up the long sleeves of the Hokage robes. She pulled them up, her hands pressed to his wrist, desperate for some sign that he was still there, that he wasn't dead and that this was all some horrible dream.

After a moment, she felt her sobs return, sounding louder and more broken than they'd ever sounded before.

There was nothing. No pulse. No beating that would tell her that Naruto wasn't dead, that he'd just lost consciousness or that he'd just decided on taking a sudden nap. No, there was just nothing. Naruto was dead.


End file.
